Actor Britt Lower had one of the biggest moments of the night at Sunday's Emmys with her big win for Apple TV's Severance, but the real moment for fans was blink-and-you-miss-it.
Lower won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the show, and during her speech she did the usual rounds of "thank yous" for her family, friends, and colleagues.
But eagle-eyed fans noticed something extra special written on the back of her speech: A reference to the show's trapped-in-office-hell concept.
On the back of her speech notes were written three words fans of the show will instantly know the meaning of: "Let me out."
In Severance, the characters exist in a world where they have the option of having their brains surgically altered so that they never remember anything that goes on at their stultifying corporate office jobs.
When they enter the building, they basically become a different person—called their "innie"—until they exit the building at the end of the day as their "outtie." The outtie's memories are effectively "severed" from the innie's so they have no recollection of having worked at Lumon Industries, and vice versa for the innies, who have no idea who they are outside the office.
Got it?
It allows them to cope with how miserable their existence is, either in the office or in their personal lives. But Lower's innie character decides she wants out, and writes "let me out" on her arms before leaving work in hopes her outtie will do just that.
Having it written on the back of her speech is a brilliant nod to this storyline and the show in general. While she was doing business as usual for an actress at an awards show, thanking her "heroic cast and crew," her work "innie" was issuing a cry for help, albeit a tongue-in-cheek one.
And online, fans of the show were absolutely here for Lower's brilliant Easter egg.
This is Lower's first Emmy. She has previously been seen in the series Unforgettable, Man Seeking Woman and American Horror Story.
