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Adam Scott is back as Mark in the second season ofSeveranceand the premiere is packed with plenty of new twists and turns at the dystopian Lumon Industries. It seems that time has passed since fans got to know the truth about Mark’s wife Gemma and her death but the answers will not really be revealed so soon.
After an incredible start to its sophomore year, the next episode ofSeveranceis sure to pack in more information about the nature of the work of the MDR team, what the real truth about the uprising is, and who Ms. Casey was. Here are five things to expect fromSeveranceseason 2 episode 2.
5What have the ‘Outies’ been up to?
Most fans wanted an answer to the incredible revelation at the end of season one i.e. the MDR team’s wellness counselor Ms. Casey actually being the presumed dead wife ofAdam Scott’sMark. However, the beginning of season two saw the episode completely focused on the ‘Innies’ and Mark returned to Lumon after the uprising.
Several revelations were made about each of the MDR team’s ‘Outies’, including Helly being the heiress of the Kier Eagan family. John Turturro’s Irving had a heartbreak as he saw the love of his ‘Innie’ life, Burt, having a partner outside the office. This aspect is explored a bit in the season 2 premiere as Irving’s ‘Innie’ grapples with this information.
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The uprising has also made a lot of sound on the outside, making the four MDR members celebrities of sorts. The second episode might give a glimpse into how the past few months have been for Mark and the gang as they deal with the consequences of this newfound fame and the apparent impact it has had on the workings of Lumon.
The question of why the team returned to work even after exposing the inner workings of the severance project might also be answered. While the ‘reintegration’ element that several fans have theorized might not be revealed as soon, the next episode will surely plant more seeds in that direction.
4Is Milchick telling the truth about the time jump?
When Mark woke up in the severance room in theseason 2 premiere, fans were surprised to see him back after all the revelations of season 1. Seth Milchick guides him toward his new teammates and says that the rest of the MDR team i.e. Helly, Irving, and Dylan chose not to return to Lumon after the events of the uprising.
Milchick also reveals some key personnel changes, including the dismissal of Cobel and his own promotion to manager of the severed floor. He also reveals to Mark that it has been five months since the uprising and that the event led to several improvements in the severance program. Despite the uprising, it is revealed that ‘Outie’ Mark chose to come back.
However, many fans have theorized that the five-month timeline is not trustworthy. Since the season has yet to show the ‘Outie’ life, there is no proof of the effects of the uprising in Lumon. Milchick said that the four MDR members were hailed as heroes and that led to changes within the offices. He even shows Mark a newspaper clipping that has all four being celebrated.
On close inspection, the newspaper looks heavily edited (viaReddit), and while that may just be a design issue from the sets, the information provided in the paper also seems to be propaganda. Many parts of the front page are redacted and only a few pieces of information that glorify the four and the industries themselves are shown.
Many fans have also pointed out the structural similarities of the office and theorized that it has not been more than a few days since the events of season 1. The upcoming episode might show audiences the real impact of the uprising and how Lumon is manipulating Mark and the rest of the MDR team.
3The hidden truth behind Helly’s return to the severance project
Apart from the big cliffhanger at the end of season 1, the other twist that shocked fans was Helly’s real identity. Helly’s integration into the severance office propels the show forward and her abject refusal to be a part of it leads to the rest of the MDR team also questioning the system at Lumon. She has a huge part in the uprising and influences the group.
However, when their ‘Innie’ and ‘Outie’ selves are temporarily reintegrated, Helly learns that she is actually Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon’s CEO. It is revealed that she went through the severance procedure as a PR move to rally support for legalizing it. When she returns to Lumon in the season 2 premiere, she lies to the gang that she was a night gardener.
But the question remains, why did Helly return? After her public breakdown about the severance procedure, she should ideally not be involved again and any sane company as big as Lumon would not risk another uprising. However, Helly is back and so are the rest of the MDR team. So, why is Helly back and why did she lie about her ‘Outie’ life?
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Fans have theorized that Helly has not been severed and has returned to spy on the MDR team. Many aspects of Helly in season 2 do not match up to the one fans saw in the first season and some of her actions have led fans to theorize that she has infiltrated as Helena. Her insistence on talking about their ‘Outie’ lives and general mismatch is evidence.
More instances of Helly trying to get information about the Innies can be expected in episode 2, although the reveal might happen later. It is still possible that Helly is just embarrassed by her ‘Outie’ life as the enemy and this theory could be wrong. But many pieces of evidence point to Helly being the traitor.
2Where is Harmony Cobel after being fired from the severance project?
Patricia Arquette’s Harmony Cobel was the severed floor manager in season 1 and was one of the primary antagonists in the show. Midway through the series, it is revealed that Cobel has a separate identity as Mark’s next-door neighbor named Mrs. Selvig. Selvig goes to Petey’s funeral in season one and extracts key information from his chip.
In the season 2 premiere, it was revealed that Cobel was fired from her job at Lumon and that her position was filled by Milchick. However, the second episode of the sophomore season is titled ‘Goodbye Mrs. Selvig’ and chances are Cobel would return in a much larger capacity and have a more profound impact on Mark’s investigation.
Trailers of season 2 showed Cobel walking out of the severed floor with her box of supplies and since the ‘Outie’ world has not been shown yet, chances are she might interfere with Lumon’s plans to manipulate Mark and the MDR gang.
1What is Project Cold Harbor?
The work done at Lumon Industries has never been revealedin the show.Mark, Helly, Dylan, and Irving belong to the Macrodata Refinement department but what they are shown to do is sort out groups of numbers based on the emotions they feel when seeing them and putting them into categories. Other workers such as Burt have different jobs.
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The ending of episode 1 in season 2 shows Mark working on a project called ‘Cold Harbor,’ which is implied to haveconnections with Ms.Casey a.k.a Gemma, ‘Outie’ Mark’s presumed dead wife. The project seems to be the central conceit of this season and might be the key to what the severance project is needed for.
Many fans have theorized that the data is part of the severance procedure and is integral to helping transfer a severed employee’s memories into ‘Innies’ and ‘Outies’. The fact that Mark is possibly messing with his own wife’s memories is a dark proposition.
Severanceepisode 2 will be out on July 23, 2025, on Apple TV+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
