[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1 of Severance.]
Severance may have delivered some revelations in its Season 1 finale, but there were plenty of questions, plots, and other mysteries raised over the course of its freshman run that have us wondering, what’s next?
Set in a world where employees at the perplexing company known as Lumon can sever their consciousness between work and home life, Severance centers around Adam Scott‘s Mark. Severing after grieving the loss of his wife too greatly, Mark’s work-life includes no memory of Gemma, who we discover in the season’s final moments is actually Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) at Lumon.
As they’re both severed, neither has a memory of the other, but it’s unclear how Gemma’s alive considering Mark believed her to be dead after an accident. And this is just the tip of the metaphorical iceberg when it comes to revelations and brewing mysteries.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
Below, we’re breaking down some of the storylines we’d like to see further explored in Season 2 of Severance on Apple TV+.
Helly’s Realization
Helly (Britt Lower) realized that she’s part of the family who helms Lumon and that she underwent the Severance procedure to show solidarity with her fellow employees. Of course, fans watching know the adverse side effects this has had on her life as Helly attempted to kill herself when her outie self denied resignation from the company. Now that she’s in on the reality of her role within Lumon, will Helly’s power dynamic within the office shift? Or will her words at the finale presentation ruin the company her family worked so hard to craft? Apart from Mark learning his wife is alive, this has to be one of the most mystifying revelations to arise in the finale.
Milchick’s Role
We know that Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) was dedicated to Lumon and its cult-like worship of founder Kier Eagan, but does Tramell Tillman‘s Milchick share that same devotion? While he goes to extreme lengths to keep Lumon’s employees in line, including activating their innie personalities while off-hours, it’s not as clear what motivates him to take such drastic measures. Hopefully, Season 2 will delve deeper into this character who is both terrifying and perplexing in his willingness to get any job done.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
Mark’s Life After
Mark desperately wanted to know why he’d go through with the Severance procedure when his innie is activated during a gathering at his sister Devon’s (Jen Tullock) house. When she tells him that it was because of his wife’s death, he is saddened, but moments before his innie is deactivated, Mark notices a wedding photo of himself and Ms. Casey, who he works with, but that’s actually Gemma, his wife. Realizing that she’s alive, Mark tells Devon before he returns to his outie consciousness, making us wonder, how will he react to this news.
Will Devon and those around Mark tell him the realization that was made, or will it remain a mystery as he tries digging deeper into Lumon’s practices? As a deeply depressed person in his outie state, Mark could turn a new leaf with this knowledge if he proceeds with caution. After all, Lumon clearly doesn’t play by the rules.
What’s Up With Irving
A peek into Irving’s (John Turturro) outie life reveals an obsessive painting habit in which he creates the same image of Lumon’s elevator over and over again. When he finds a map in his belongings that lead to Christopher Walken’s Burt, among other Lumon employees, it makes us wonder just how deep their connection was. If innie Mark was surprised to find these things, clearly he wasn’t sneaking messages out for himself, otherwise, he’d remember.
And his painting suggests that he has a deeper affinity for the arts, something that Burt’s team in the Optics and Design division at Lumon handled. Could they have worked together before they were severed in that same department? Similar to when Mark was getting close to Ms. Casey at work, she was let go from her position, just as Burt was encouraged to retire as he got close to Irving. It feels like there’s a bigger answer yet to be uncovered in regards to these two men, and we’re hoping its explored in Season 2.
Severance in the World
It’s implied that more than just Lumon employees are being severed as Gabby Arteta (Nora Dale) seemingly went under the procedure to help her get through various pregnancies. The wife of Senator Angelo Arteta (Ethan Flower), Gabby and her husband are supporters of the method. But is Gabby’s participation in this process due to her political proximity, or are their others outside of Lumon being severed, and at what scale? It’s a question that makes us wonder just how brainwashed the world around Lumon is.
Hopefully, these theories, ideas, and questions will be explored more in Season 2. Until then, revisit Season 1’s jam-packed stories on Apple TV+ now.
Severance, Season 2, TBA, Apple TV+
