Yahoo Lifestyle 10 'Severance' Season 2 Theories That Are Bonkers But Also Maybe Very Real
Given that we had three years between Season 1 and Season 2 of Severance, it's no shock that the internet has had time to come up with a lot of theories about the show.
With all the new theories popping up with the start of Season 2, creator/writer/executive producer Dan Erickson recently revealed that none of the Season 2 theories he's seen so far are actually correct:
"I love all of them and some of them are kooky, but the show is kooky, so it makes sense. I would not say that I've seen anybody get it totally right. We are trying to lay down the seeds of where it's ultimately going, and I do think that people notice that ... But I don't think that I've seen anything where I'm like, 'Oh God, they got it. Time to leave the country and change my name.'"
But just because the theories are "kooky" doesn't mean that there's not some kernel of truth in them. Here's a look at some of the Severance theories currently going around:
Theory: Helly isn't Helly this season — she's Helena Eagan.
Apple TV+
There is a lot of "evidence" popping up left and right trying to prove that Season 2 Helly is none other than Helena Eagan who's attempting to gain information from the severed MDR employees. Here are some of the reasons why fans thinks Helly is Helena:
1. An Innie would never describe an Outie apartment as "boring." According to u/da91392, "One of the larger pieces of evidence that it's Helena is that she characterizes waking up in a 'really fucking boring apartment.' To an Innie, even the most mundane things about the outside world would be brand new, confusing, and exciting. This concept is emphasized in the episode through Gwendolyn Y asking iMark what the sky is like and what wind feels like — all things an Outie wouldn't even think to remark upon, but to an Innie it is thrilling."
2. Helena's walk is not Helly's walk. According to u/READMYSHIT, "See the myriad of memes on this sub about her intentful strides. This Helena walks with her shoulders in, arms limp. As if trying to appear smaller."
3. The power button. According to u/READMYSHIT, "When Helena goes to turn on her workstation she fumbles with the on-switch on the back for a second. In an earlier shot, we see Mark's muscle memory kick in and get it on the first try. In the final shots of the episode, we see Dylan, Irv, and Mark all switch theirs on the first go without issue. I know it's possible for anyone to fumble. But they were so clear on showing us the close-up earlier and then all three doing it efficiently at the end, it simply has to be another tell that she doesn't belong."
You can read more of the theories here.
Theory: The elevator dings in Season 2 can tell us a lot about who is who when they go down to the severed floor.
Theory: Innie Irving has secretly realized that Helly is Helena.
According to u/hzfan, "Irv is acting in the last chunk of this episode. He figures out Helly/Helena is lying about the gardener story and immediately he stops trusting her at all.
Next, it’s his turn to share what happened with him and he first tries to change the subject. Then, when she presses him ('C’mon, you can tell us'), he just says the platitude, 'It’s not our world up there.'
We’re meant to think he won’t get into it because of his heartbreak, but really, he doesn’t want to reveal the info to Helena. That’s why he waits to tell anyone about his experience until he’s hugging Dylan and can whisper it directly into his ear."
You can read more about the theory here.
Theory: Innie and Outie Irving have been communicating for a long time, using his wristwatch.
Here's what Redditor u/Umgar noticed:
1. "In Season 2, Episode 2, Irving is leaving a voicemail for someone via a phone booth and makes a comment, 'I want you to know my innie got the message.' I think this is meant more literally than we think! I think that Irving and someone (probably Burt) have been communicating for a long time through the severed barrier using coded signals."
2. "Recently, Ben Stiller made a comment that he was surprised people didn't talk about and pay more attention to the locker/tray the severed use before they get in the elevator. Obviously, there's something he wants us to take note of. Then, in Season 2, episode 2, we get to see, for the first time, outie Irving preparing to board the elevator. And what do they specifically show him doing? Putting on a watch — an analog watch. Why did they show us this? I don't think it was by accident."
3. "We know that Irving was in the Navy! He would have learned various ways to communicate in code, like Morse."
You can read more about the theory here.
Theory: Lumon is working to resurrect Kier Eagan and Gemma is a part of that plan.
Redditor u/fillgates theorizes: "Kier believed a person’s essence was comprised of the Four Tempers. Macrodata Refinement is meant to take a person’s raw data and sort it into the Four Tempers, thereby recreating the person. MDR employees are severed to avoid tainting this process with their own lives, experiences, and personalities."
When it comes to Gemma, they wrote, "Gemma *did* die in a car accident, clinically speaking. But I believe Lumon, through its influence in the town of Kier, was able to quickly recover her body and cryogenically freeze her brain. Little by little, they thaw a section of her brain. They measure the neural activity and send it off to Macrodata Refinement. MDR sees these recordings as wiggling numbers. PCKT RATE, PCKT TIME, and DURATION refer to the data packets they are recording from the axons, and how much time is left before that tissue dies and the numbers lose their wiggle."
You can read more about the theory here.
Theory: Mark's Outtie chose to undergo reintegration before he returned to Lumon.
Reddit user u/cilantro-slut theorizes that oMark has already begun the reintegration process by the time we see iMark back in Lumon:
"As someone else here pointed out, the mysterious man in the suit that appears behind Mark in the opening scene does look like him, and disappears when Mark turns around after sensing him — we see similar behavior from Petey.
Another Redditor pointed out that the doctor responsible for Petey's reintegration said that he didn't follow the proper follow-up procedure, which is why he was having very severe reintegration sickness, and the likely 'correct' way to make reintegration successful was to continue going to work to allow the severed and unsevered parts to mesh over time.
Finally, I just can't imagine that oMark would go back to Lumon without some sort of plan to find his wife, and reintegration seems like the best (if not only) way to do it. I'd bet that after his sister and Rickon told oMark what iMark said, and oMark told them what he learned from Petey and the doctor, Mark goes back to the DR to get reintegrated."
You can read more about the theory here.
Theory: Irving's smashed egg is meant to alert the MDR team about the actual passage of time.
Redditor u/thatzombiefilm posed the question, "Anyone think that finding Irving's smashed egg in the manual will notify the MDR group that less time has passed than what they've been told?"
You can read more about the theory here.
Theory: The Eagans/Lumon are obsessed with pineapples because they can replicate without sexual reproduction.
Apple TV+, Apple TV+ / Via reddit.com
u/MattsIdeaShop theorizes: "Unlike most fruits that rely on seeds for reproduction, pineapples propagate asexually through crowns, slips, or suckers, creating genetically identical clones of the parent plant. This process bypasses genetic mixing, ensuring consistency across generations. Unlike seeded fruits, pineapples don’t rely on pollination to produce viable offspring, making them unique in their ability to replicate without sexual reproduction.
Any clues that Eagans are supposed to have sex? (Helly's obsession with the kiss could show that she isn’t allowed to be romantic. Also, Irv and Burt saying that romance is forbidden…)
Perhaps the solution to 'making all mankind Keir’s children' is making babies like pineapples make babies. It keeps the bloodline pure and they don’t have to mess with the incest (which I bet they tried back in the day)."
You can read more about the theory here.
Theory: An employee has to ask something three times before their request is granted.
According to u/doenofoe, "In Season 1, episode 1, we learn that Helly has to ask Mark three times to be let out of the room she wakes up in before he can let her out. In Season 2, episode 1, Mark asks Milchick three times for his team back before he grants it. Maybe it's a coincidence, but I thought it was interesting!"
You can read more about the theory here.
And finally, this very real theory:
Which theories do you think have the strongest chance of being real? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
