Latest Episode Of 'Severance' Mentions Malaysia. Here's The Tea You Should Know
The series' director, Ben Stiller, has a history with Malaysia. ( ❛ ֊ ❛)
By Yap Wan Xiang — 17 Feb 2025, 01:17 PM
Malaysia is mentioned in the latest episode of Severance, a popular TV series currently airing on Apple TV+
The series explores the lives of employees at Lumon Industries who have undergone a surgical procedure to separate their work and personal memories. The plot centres on Mark Scout, portrayed by Adam Scott, who finds his life upended by this division.
In season 2, episode 5 of the series, Malaysia is mentioned in reference to the Black Beauty watermelon from the country.
"Thank you for your attendance and participation. You may now briefly partake in Irving's fruit head, whose dark hair is courtesy of the Black Beauty watermelon from the country of Malaysia," says Mr Milchick, the direct boss of the central characters in the series.
You can watch the scene here:
The scene depicts a funeral ceremony to mourn the "death" of Irving B, an employee fired from the company's macro data refinement (MDR) department
This ceremony highlights the unique nature of the 'severed' employees, where only Irving's 'innie' — the version of him that exists within the workplace — is considered 'dead', while his outside-of-work persona continues to live.
During the funeral, a sculpture of Irving B's head, crafted from the Black Beauty watermelon from Malaysia, is served as part of the refreshments.
Fruits and food are frequently used as rewards for 'severed' employees, especially ones they haven't tasted before. This is because they do not retain memories of flavours they had outside office grounds while on the 'severed' floor.
Consequently, the Black Beauty watermelon from Malaysia is portrayed as a somewhat desired delicacy for the characters in the scene.
According to local fruit shop chain MGB, Black Beauty watermelons are small, and round to oval in shape.
"Their skin is thick, smooth, and dark green with green-black striping. The flesh is deep red, juicy, and tender with a few round black seeds. Black Beauty watermelons are crisp and juicy with a very sweet flavour," described the fruit shop chain.
Following the episode's premiere, netizens took to X to celebrate the mention of Malaysia
One netizen drew a connection between the Malaysia reference in Severance and Zoolander, a 2001 comedy movie that was banned in the country as the story revolves around the protagonist, played by Ben Stiller, being manipulated to assassinate Malaysia's prime minister.
According to a media report at the time, a spokesperson for the censorship board described the plot as "definitely unsuitable" for Malaysian audiences, reported FMT.
Both Severance and Zoolander are directed by Ben Stiller.
