All of the Severance Questions We Nonetheless Have Forward of the Season Finale

Oh, how harmless we had been at the end of January, solely three episodes into the second season of Severance. We didn’t even know what Salt’s Neck was, or where Ms. Casey’s been tucked away! We could have a barely higher thought of what the hell is occurring as Apple TV+’s sci-fi sensation/web obsession heads into its season two finale subsequent week—however there are nonetheless secrets and techniques galore lurking in Lumon’s hallways.

With that in thoughts, it’s time to revisit io9’s earlier post working by our most burning Severance questions and see the place they now stand—and you already know we’ve bought loads of new ones, too.

First, right here’s a rundown of our early-season questions—a few of which we’ve since realized the solutions to.

The place is Ms. Casey? 

In episode seven, “Chikhai Bardo,” we bought an in depth backstory of Gemma (later generally known as Ms. Casey) and Mark’s relationship, from their first meet-cute at a blood drive, to their blissful early days of marriage, to their devastating struggles with infertility. We additionally realized that Gemma has been actually beneath Mark’s ft your complete time; with a wide range of severed personalities activated relying on which room she enters, she’s been present process a sequence of extremely disagreeable experiences on Lumon’s testing flooring, which is much more underground than the severed flooring.

How did Gemma grow to be Ms. Casey—and why?

We don’t have exact particulars but on both of those, although we do have some extra clues to go on. We all know that Gemma and Mark visited a fertility clinic run by Lumon, and that Gemma remained in touch with the place, or at the very least obtained follow-up mail (the “Chikhai Bardo” card got here with some type of character check) related to it. We additionally noticed the evening she left alone for an occasion that Mark didn’t wish to attend and by no means got here house, with a pair of police displaying as much as ship the unhappy (pretend) information of her destiny. 

Whereas we don’t know precisely how she turned Ms. Casey—was she kidnapped? A keen participant till realizing what she’d truly agreed to?—we have now a barely much less foggy thought of why. Based mostly on episode seven, we all know she’s being held towards her will, and that Mark’s work as a “Macrodata Refiner” has formed her experiences on the testing flooring. We additionally know based mostly on this week’s episode, “The After Hours,” that when Mark finishes his most essential work file, the all-important Chilly Harbor, Gemma’s life will finish.

We don’t know, after all, any of the big-picture stuff, like what precisely Lumon plans to do with the outcomes of this barbaric experiment, and what future implications it might have.

What’s Chilly Harbor?

See above. We do not know what’s truly ready for Gemma within the room, but it surely’s going to be far more terrible than being on a airplane that’s seemingly about to crash, a painful afternoon on the dentist, or a passive-aggressive Christmas spent writing inane thank-you notes. After “Chikhai Bardo,” it appeared believable Chilly Harbor could be the place Gemma would re-experience her miscarriage time and again, however now that we all know it’s designed to be deadly—may it’s a automotive crash that truly kills her?

What’s Ms. Cobel’s plan and what’s in Salt’s Neck?

Due to episode eight, “Candy Vitriol,” a whole lot of Ms. Cobel’s backstory has been fleshed out. We all know she grew up in a Lumon firm city that’s now practically abandoned, and that almost all everybody who nonetheless lives there may be—because of Lumon—an ether addict. We realized Cobel’s mom, who was a type of ether addicts whereas she was alive, hated Lumon. We additionally realized Cobel was a gifted pupil who earned the distinguished Wintertide Fellowship, and that Jame Eagan stole her designs for the severance process and handed the invention off as his personal. 

That each one actually explains a whole lot of her habits till now: her eerie devotion to the cult of Kier, one thing she’s been entangled together with her complete life; her creepy curiosity in Mark each in and out of labor (since his completion of Chilly Harbor is someway tied into the success of severance), her excessive response when she was fired from Lumon, and (as we noticed in “The After Hours”) her obvious choice to assist Mark and Devon proper as Gemma’s time is working out.

The place is Kier, PE?

Nonetheless no thought. However it’s not simply snowy roads: you may take a prepare far, distant if it’s essential to escape Kier, like Irving does in “The After Hours.”

Who’s on “the board”?

Nonetheless no thought. The one Eagans we’ve met are Jame and Helena. Might there be extra?

What’s the cope with Natalie?

Once more, no thought. If the season finale reveals Natalie is an innie whose outie is the exact opposite of “PR individual with a death-ray smile,” it wouldn’t be completely shocking. 

Why does Lumon need Ricken to re-write his guide for innies?

But once more, we don’t know, apart from maybe it was a approach for Lumon to maintain its hooks in Mark’s household—since we now know precisely how useful he’s to the corporate. Ricken hasn’t been seen a lot in season two, although his portrayal within the “Chikhai Bardo” flashback suggests his overly mannered character was once much more charming. The episode was all about Mark and Gemma, but it surely additionally confirmed the viewers that Devon and Ricken’s relationship isn’t as mismatched because it seems to be within the present’s current day.

Why is Miss Huang a child?

This we now know: like Ms. Cobel earlier than her, little Eustace is a Wintertide Fellow. She and Mr. Milchick by no means labored very effectively collectively, however he did enable her to graduate. In “The After Hours,” we see her being despatched away from the Lumon workplace (and her dad and mom, it’s pointedly talked about) for a brand new posting in Svalbard, most likely one in all few locations on Earth that’s colder than Kier.

Why did Helly lie about her “Time beyond regulation Contingency” expertise?

We realized the reply to that in episode 4, “Woe’s Hole.” It wasn’t Helly in that scene, it was the duplicitous Helena Eagan. She was faking that she was her innie with a view to spy on MDR.

Who’s outie Irv speaking to on pay telephones?

We don’t know, and we could by no means know, since “The After Hours” noticed Irv and his canine board that prepare out of Kier, courtesy of Burt, with specific directions by no means to return. One of the best guess is that he was someway tied into the anti-severance motion, and was chatting with a contact that most likely helped him compile that checklist of names and addresses of severed staff (together with Burt).

What’s up with the Exports Corridor?

We knew it led to the testing flooring, since we noticed Ms. Casey strolling down that lengthy hallway on the finish of season one; in season two, it’s the place Dr. Mauer wheels his dental instruments, and Ms. Casey’s would-be escape route when she tries to search out her approach out of captivity in “Chikhai Bardo.” However we don’t know why it was haunting Irving’s ideas, a lot in order that his outie painted pictures of it time and again. With assist from Felicia in Optics and Design, Irv’s innie left behind some very convoluted instructions to search out its entrance, which Helly R. will get ahold of after Dylan—the meant recipient—impulsively quits MDR in “The After Hours.”

How will Mark’s reintegration go?

It hasn’t been clean crusing, with sudden nosebleeds, the persistent sofa, what gave the impression to be a seizure adopted by a quick lapse right into a coma, and a few complicated consciousness blips. The one medical skilled who is aware of his secret, Reghabi, took herself out of the equation when Devon determined to telephone Ms. Cobel. In order that’s not very reassuring.

Are the Macrodata Refiners truly doing something?

Whereas the main points aren’t completely clear, we all know their work sorting “scary numbers” and finishing information named for locations (Allentown… Chilly Harbor) has some form of affect on the testing flooring.

THE GOATS

We haven’t seen a goat since episode three, “Who Is Alive?”—except you rely production-design particulars just like the goat statue on the altar belonging to Ms. Cobel’s Kier-devoted aunt, seen in “Candy Vitriol.” The goat represents malice, one of many 4 tempers talked about as having been “tamed” by Kier Eagan as a part of his in depth lore. As to what sensible objective the goats in Lumon serve, and why the workers who care for them are so oddball, we don’t but have a solution.

Now, let’s dig into the most recent questions presently protecting Severance followers up at evening, particularly now that there’s only one episode left to go.

What plan will Cobel, Mark, and Devon give you?

When final we noticed this unlikely trio, they’d gathered in one of many severance-rigged cabins on the “birthing retreat”—nice thought from Devon, by the best way—in order that Cobel may speak to Mark’s innie. Mark and Devon wish to rescue Gemma from her Chilly Harbor destiny, and Cobel has some critical explaining to do, each to the Scout siblings and to the very curious viewers. So what’s going to their subsequent transfer be? As we’ve seen, you may’t precisely barge your approach onto Lumon’s severed flooring… a lot much less infiltrate the testing flooring under. However as we’ve additionally seen, Lumon’s safety may be surprisingly porous typically—like when the innies pulled off the time beyond regulation contingency mission in season one, for example.

And talking of that birthing retreat scene… WTF?

We’ll be haunted by Ms. Cobel’s description of Devon (pretending to be a Lumon worker) as a lady needing discreet entry into the birthing retreat as a result of “she’s one in all Jame’s.” What does that imply, precisely? Certainly one of Jame’s what? Prepared or unwilling vessels for his Eagan seed? You may’t simply let that twist within the wind, Severance!

Will Mr. Milchick proceed to insurgent towards Mr. Drummond particularly and possibly Lumon at giant?

Mr. Milchick standing as much as Mr. Drummond, appropriately mentioning that no matter Mark does when he’s not at work isn’t one thing he can management—true for any job, however particularly since Mark is severed and turns into a totally totally different individual when he steps off that elevator and goes house—was an unexpectedly pleasant second in “The After Hours.” It’s felt like Mr. Milchick is getting ready to breaking from his good-soldier routine for a number of episodes now (his response to the work, his efficiency overview ordeal). Might he grow to be an surprising innie ally because the season attracts to an in depth?

Is that this the final we’ve seen of Dylan, Irving, and Burt?

It’s fairly clear Miss Huang has departed for good—however what about these different characters? All had what may be closing send-offs in “The After Hours.” It’s important to hope we’ll at the very least see what occurs to Dylan and his outie’s spouse, Gretchen, and possibly be taught if Burt will face penalties for seemingly breaking Lumon farewell protocol with Irving.

Will Mark have to decide on between Gemma and Helly R.?

It might be a love triangle… besides one of many factors is 2 totally different males contained in a single physique. Mark S. loves Helly R. and Mark loves Gemma. It doesn’t matter what, somebody goes to get their coronary heart damaged—as we noticed with Dylan’s agonizing storyline in “The After Hours.” How will he select? Or will the choice be made for him, possibly to the purpose that no person finally ends up glad? Will Gemma die within the Chilly Harbor room? Will the sinister Helena Eagan triumph in completely erasing her a lot, a lot cooler innie?

And talking of Helly R… why is Jame Eagan creeping on MDR?

Who does he assume he’s confronting in one of many closing scenes in “The After Hours”—his daughter, or her innie, who he considers to be lower than human? Why does he need Helena to eat her breakfast eggs uncooked reasonably than hard-boiled?

No solutions. Solely questions right here.

That brings us to the inevitable largest questions of all. How will Severance arrange season three—will followers be left dangling on one other cliffhanger like the tip of season one?

And by the best way, when will Apple TV+ affirm season three is on the best way? And the way lengthy will we have now to attend to see extra?

The Severance season two finale, ominously titled “Chilly Harbor,” arrives subsequent Friday.

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