Seth Milchick

Seth Milchick
Severance character
Tramell Tillman as Milchick in the first season of Severance
First appearance	"Good News About Hell" (2022)
Portrayed by	Tramell Tillman
In-universe information
Nickname	Mr. Milchick

Seth Milchick, often referred to as Mr. Milchick, is a fictional character on the Apple TV + series Severance, portrayed by Tramell Tillman.

Milchick manages the severed floor, and is loyal to the company Lumon. The character has been positively received, especially Tillman's performance.

Character biography

In Season 1, Milchick is a supervisor on the severed floor and regularly interacts with the Macrodata Refinement department. After Ms. Cobel is fired he is promoted to manager of the severed floor.

Development

Tillman worked in the nonprofit sector for over a decade before pursuing professional acting, and drew on his own experience in the corporate world, saying "I spent over 20 plus years in nonprofit management. I have experience in the corporate world. So, Milchick is an amalgamation of colleagues, of former bosses, of caricatures of people that I've worked with. And even experiences that I've had in corporate America."

Reception

The character has been positively received, and Tillman's performance has been praised.

Evan Romano of Men's Health wrote, "There are plenty of takes on the 'loyal muscle' archetype of villain who have become classics. [...] But in Milchick, we get a new, hybrid, 'of the times' version of this character—a muscle-bound loyalist and a corporate stooge at the same time. Not only is Mr. Milchick someone who will carry out exactly the agenda that Lumon and/or the Eagan family and/or Ms. Cobel tell him to, but he'll do it because he's desperate to climb a corporate ladder."

Erin Qualey of Vulture wrote, "The way Tillman makes Milchick’s face go slack when he’s displeased, like he’s transforming into a robotic mercenary, is chilling to behold. [...] He never raises his voice or resorts to violence (that we’ve seen onscreen), but we can tell he’s deep into the cult Kool-Aid and is ready to do absolutely anything to serve Kier and the Eagan family."

Jeffrey Speicher of Collider commented, "Milchick can look Mark, Helly, and the crew in the eyes while flashing that 1,000-megawatt smile and telling them what they want to hear when you know, in his mind, that he is scheming to keep the quartet squarely under his thumb. If you've ever read Machiavelli's seminal work The Prince, you would know that Milchick keeps his employees happy enough so he can continue to rule without impediment, just like the Italian philosopher noted."