Britt Lower gave Severance fans plenty to speculate about thanks to a shrewd handwritten message spotted during her Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series acceptance speech at Sunday night's Emmys.
As seen above, as well as in the video below, Lower, who plays Helly R. and Helena on Apple’s acclaimed hit, did indeed emerge victorious in the category, marking both her first nomination and first win.
“First, it’s a privilege to even be mentioned alongside such an incredible group of artists. Wow,” Lower said on Sunday. “I share this award with my heroic cast and crew whose work catalyzes mine. I’m forever grateful to the visionary hearts of Dan, Jessica, Adam, and Ben.”
Lower went on to thank her family, then closed out with a direct mention of her character on the show.
“Thank you for this, and thank you for Helly R. for choosing me,” she said.
In her hand was a prepared speech, on the back of which was scrawled, in all caps, “LET ME OUT.” For those caught up on Severance, the message is an especially clever one that hints at the shared existential struggles of Lumon Industries’ roster of innies. In fact, it arguably builds on previous questions some viewers had in relation to the performance art-inspired promo that accompanied the show’s second season.
Simply put, if fans were to entertain the idea of Lower's message being canon, this, in theory, would mean that Severance, the series, somehow exists within the same world as Lumon, the company. To add to that theory, does this mean we might one day see the Emmys “LET ME OUT” note and other real-life moments worked into the story of the show?
Lower wasn’t alone in victory on Sunday night, as fellow Severance actor Tramell Tillman, fresh off his scene-stealing appearance in this May’s Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, took home best Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his turn as Seth Milchick.
Outstanding Drama Series, meanwhile, went to The Pitt. For the full list of this year’s winners, see here.