Disclaimer: spoilers from season 1 and 2
“Severance,” the Emmy award-winning science-fiction-thriller series directed by Ben Stiller, released its highly awaited season two finale on March 21, 2025 after three years in the works since season one. The series follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott) and his three coworkers at the mysterious Lumon company as “severed” individuals. Severance is a medical procedure which entirely separates an individual’s work memories from their personal lives — in which they are casually referred to as “innies” (work life) and “outies” (home life). Mark eventually works together with his three coworkers in the Macrodata Refinement (MDR) department to uncover what they really do at Lumon.
“Severance” season one ended on an intense cliffhanger, with the four “innies” having made contact with the “outie” world through a process called overtime contingency. Mark learns that on the outside world, his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), who had supposedly died in a car accident, is alive, yet who they know as Ms. Casey, the wellness counselor at Lumon. After her failed attempt to watch over Helly (Britt Lower) in MDR, she was fired from her position as wellness counselor, but in reality was sent down to the ominous testing floor of Lumon. The truth behind her disappearance is the key to uncovering what is really happening among the floors of Lumon and the mysterious “Cold Harbor” mission, which all comes to a head in the season finale.
In this season, the history of Lumon, the Eagans and nearly all of the characters are explored in further depth. For instance, in episode eight, watchers learned about the history of Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette), the former manager of the severed floor as she visits her past, and experiences her character development from antagonist to something of an ally to Mark. We see the struggles of Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) as he is put in a new position of power as manager of the severed floor, as well as his experiences with microaggressions from the company.
Irving (John Turturro), whose innie is fired — essentially killed off, meets Burt (Christopher Walken) in the outside world, in which they address their innies’ feelings towards each other from season one. Dylan, played by Zach Cherry, is allowed to meet his wife as an innie, resulting in a conflict between his wife’s feelings for both versions of him.
The battle between one’s inner and outer self is explored more deeply in this season. One of the most complex characters facing this battle between one’s identity is Helly, or Helena Eagen, the daughter of the CEO of Lumon Industries. Her innie and outie are completely juxtaposing characters. By undergoing severance, Helena essentially created a version of herself that is working to bring down her own company and her entire family lineage. We see more of her relationship with her father, Jame Eagan (Michael Siberry), as well as her ways of manipulating her power to force control over her innie’s actions.
While Mark’s outie is trying to save Gemma from Lumon, Mark and Helly’s relationship grows further in this season, only increasing the messiness of Mark’s inner and outer lives and leading to a battle with himself. The idea that there are two versions of himself, where both love a different person, poses the heavy question: Which one deserves the right to their love story more? It is a lose-lose situation either way; by saving Gemma, Mark would end his innie’s life at Lumon, but if his innie chose to stay with Helly, his outie may never see his wife again.
The question of whether love transcends severance is a recurrent theme throughout the entire show. Are people who are meant to be together able to find their way back to each version of themselves?
“Severance” season two was as mind-bending and beautifully shot as the first, with its ability to somehow be devastating and witty at the same time. This season, while delving into a lot of pasts and uncovering the mysteries behind Lumon Industries, also left a lot of questions unanswered, setting the stage for another enthralling season.
