The first season of Severance built a world of mystery as audiences were abruptly introduced to Helly R (played by Britt Lower) alone and scared on a board room table as she gets five questions of which to her great distress she fails to remember any personal information, including her own name. This is how the audience is introduced to the severance procedure in the world of the show, one where the corporation Lumon has created a severed workforce where the memories formed are completely separate on and off the severed floors, creating what are known as Innie and Outie personalities.
The first season, we only got to be with Mark S (played by Adam Scott) as both an innie and outie regularly, leading up to the final episode where the Innie’s decided to take over their bodies on the outside, which led to some major discoveries that had big impacts on season 2. The first is that the wife, Gemma, Mark Scout (the outie of Mark S) has been grieving the entire season and the main reason he became a severed employee is alive and Mark S knows her Ms. Casey (played by Dichen Lachman). The second is that Helly R’s outie is really Helena Eagan, the daughter of the CEO of Lumon. These discoveries are not the only driving stories in season 2, but they are big ones regarding the overall mystery of Lumon and what the severance process is really all about. As the second season progresses and Mark S gets closer to finishing Cold Harbor, and episode 7 provides a lot of context to what has been going on from Gemma’s side, we might be getting closer to finding out the true intentions.
However, Severance is not just about these big mysteries, it’s also about relationships. Right before the innies left to go on their mission at the end of last season, Mark S and Helly R acted on their budding feelings and shared their first kiss. However, after the fallout from their trips to the outside world, the season begins with only Mark S returning to the severed floor with a new team. So, we find him struggling with his ire at losing all his friends at once and his budding relationship. No wonder he does not push for more information when she returns and misses key clues that Irving (played by John Turturro) picks up. On the outside, Mark Scout eventually meets Helena, and despite himself, you can see he feels a connection between them. They aren’t the only outies connecting. Irving (innie) tried to reach outie Burt (played by Christopher Walken) in last season’s finale, but this season it is Burt (outie) who seeks Irving (outie) out. And in a power play to keep Dylan in corporate line and not fully invested in teaming up with Mark S and the others, Lumon offers innie Dylan (played by Zach Cherry) connection with his outie wife Gretchen (played by Merritt Wever). This one is particularly interesting because as connections form between the pair, it begs questions as Gretchen is essentially falling in love with the same man again. One that she may be struggling to love as an outie because Dylan (outie) struggles to love himself because of his difficulty to find a job/purpose, but his innie doesn’t suffer from that.
Which takes us back to again, what is the purpose of severance? What is the work they are actually doing? And will it be revealed this season? Only time will tell. But the series keeps engaging and building on the compelling characters and stories. And Harmony Cobel (played by Patricia Arquette) has been absent from much of this season, so if you are like me you are waiting for her to make a big return and shake up the foundation of the series going forward.
Severance is available on Apple TV+.
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