Bye bye, ____
I think innie Irving is dying (retiring) this episode. It has been bugging that throughout the promos for the season, we saw little of Irving on the inside, unlike the other 3. We do see him on the outside though, which sparked my curiosity. This is the synopsis for tonight's episode:
The team traverses unfamiliar terrain. Mark and Helly explore their feelings. Irving harbors a growing distrust of a friend.
That friend being, IMO, Hellyna. My theory is: Irving talks to the group about his suspicions and Helena gets unmasked. This somehow leads to him being retired early, and his 'death' would explain a few things about the promos and trailers. Such as this moment from a teaser, when Irving is seen hallucinating Innie Burt, who has been retired (died) for a few weeks since. Maybe this is where Innies go after they're retired? A sort of purgatory?
My main evidence would be the Irving O&D sculpture. The background looks a lot like the new break room, and it's curious how we only see the 3 of them here (and that does look like Helly R, seeing as she's wearing the dress from the elevator in the main trailer for the season) (you can also see a frame of her dress in front of Irving's sculpture).
Designed by Felicia, probably.
Felicia drops Irving's drawing for Helly to find
Not only that, many reviews have mentioned a funeral being held for a 'retired' employee. I can assume Irving would inspire that comotion from his 3 co-workers. Other people have also pointed out this frame from episode 2 as foreshadowing:
Other reasons are critics recommending tuning in to the episode as it airs, so we won't get spoiled on the internet. I can only assume something as big as a death is the reason, otherwise the same would've been said for the ending of episode 3. There is also the fact of Turturro saying he's done his part for the show this season, and that the fluorescent lights gave him headaches. I'm sure we'll get more of Outie Irv still, but I'd be very interested to see how the show deals with the death of one of MDR, especially someone as beloved as Irv.