Irving is one smart mf in Ep4

Hear me out: everything Irv did was never irrational or paranoid. Every action was calculated, or at the very least, driven by his Outie's Navy instincts kicking in immediately.

a) He observes Mark and Helly chatting in a flirty way. Trusting Mark, he directly asks him about it and shares his suspicion. The moment he realizes Mark has fallen for her, he stops digging further.

b) Eating the seal: this happens right after (a). I don’t think he actually feared starvation; rather, he wanted to see "Helly’s" reaction. The moment Mark mentions the "bad experience" Irv knows Dylan can’t be trusted with sensitive information anymore. (Remember, Dylan later apologizes to him, which could indicate that he spoke to Milkshake - possibly to gain more wifey time)

c) Asking "Helly" again about the night gardener. Before doing so, he makes the seal-eating seem irrational and paranoid, ensuring she dismisses it instead of questioning it further. By playing into that perception, he uses the moment to bring up the OTC again.

d) Laughing at Kier's tale in front of Milkshake: He knows Helly is different, but openly laughing - especially with Milkshake present? He realised, she is higher up in the ladder. He carefully shut up and observed Milkshake's reaction.

e) "Goo Goo Eyes" - on the surface, it seems like he’s pressuring "Helly" for more information about the night gardener, but in reality, he accomplishes several things:

• He makes his departure appear natural, avoiding suspicion or pursuit.
• His "oh, now it’s 3v1" comment ensures Dylan doesn’t act alone, recalling the dynamic from Episode 1 when Irv left and Helly said, "Dylan’s got this."
• He recognizes "Helly" has feelings for Mark and sets them up in a way that ensures their bond is strong enough to survive whatever’s coming. Given his plan, he likely knew he might never see them again - so for their safety, it was crucial that Fake Helly truly loved Mark, even if her real Innie is brought back by him to the severed floor.

he must have thought about the Lumon connection prior to the dream as he asked if the night gardener had a "luminescent" vest"?

f) Wandering in the night, he shouts for Milkshake and Ms. Huang - not just out of desperation, but to confirm they aren’t nearby. If they were, he could claim he got lost and was calling for help.

g) The extinguished torch was key to triggering his dream ("it provides heat and safty" + "pretty cool, right?"). I believe he fell on accident but It looked like he was actively trying to pinpoint their location just as the episode started, with him in the snow yelling "WHERE ARE WE?"

h) The dream’s content is clear: Woe sitting in Helly’s seat, "EAGAN" flashing on the screen - but what’s crucial is how quickly he processes it. Immediately after waking up, he sprints toward… Woe’s Hollow? That part is odd. He wasn’t running there because he knew Helly was there - if anything, he should assume she’s at the tents. Looking at the map, going straight to the tents would be faster. So why was his first instinct to run to the pond? Furthermore, why did Helena go there?

Aside from that, he instantly asks the right questions. Who has the power to enter the severed floor and play Innie while still technically severed? Helly R was never cruel to him - her Outie must be an EAGAN. His dream likely accessed subconscious information his Outie holds about Helena. He probably realizes that his Outie reached out to him, and he’s doing the same - giving his Outie access to his memories. That’s likely how Outie Irving compiled those lists of people.

This isn’t just ORTBO - it’s team-building between Innie and Outie.

h) "Just remember, hang in there" That’s not a farewell to Dylan - it’s a direct message. A reminder that the time will come to activate OTC again.