‘Severance’: Will Anyone Survive Life at Lumon?

(Warning: Spoilers ahead)

At the start of Severance’s second season, Mark (Adam Scott) aims to reunite the MDR team. He immediately achieves this goal, but unity has not prevailed. By the end of the penultimate episode, only Helly (Britt Lower) remains at her desk.

Resigning, relocating, or taking a sick day are not unusual reasons to skip work, but the events that befall Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and Mark impede the completion of Cold Harbor or, in the case of Irving, highlight the danger he faces.

Opening with Helena Eagan’s breakfast with her father Jame (Michael Siberry) underscores the whiff of disappointment emanating from the man who stole Harmony Cobel’s (Patricia Arquette) severance procedure designs. Even Helena’s food gets critiqued as her father would prefer she eat her egg raw—their ancestor Keir Eagan’s preference.

Jame calls it “a momentous day” due to the scheduled Cold Harbor completion, but they should hold off on having a melon bar—or splashing cash on more eggs. After the last two backstory and bombshell-filled episodes, we resume regular transmission. However, there ain’t no way the MDR team is hitting their deadline.

Helena tells her father they are “seeing to Mr. Bailiff.” A chilling statement when you realize they are discussing Irving. A shot of the Lumon water tower as Helena is driven to work is innocuous enough, but nothing on Severance is window dressing. Theories about the water tower range from Kier being stored in the water tower to it being a transmitter. Luckily, the credits hit before I fall too far into this rabbit hole.

The morning starts with an upheaval for Dylan, as Gretchen (Merritt Weaver) confesses she kissed his innie because “he reminds me of how you used to be.” Dylan views this as infidelity and threatens to quit Lumon and end his innie’s existence. Being in a love triangle with yourself is complicated.

No romantic entanglement is simple on Severance. Burt (Christopher Walken) has broken into Irving’s apartment, finding his trove of surveillance and speculation about recent disappearances or deaths. In those notes, Irving suggests Burt might be a “low-level enforcer or Lumon goon.” Irving says he doesn’t think that anymore, but he is understandably uneasy when Burt suggests taking a drive. Like his innie, Irving is drawn to Burt (regardless of the danger) so he eventually agrees.

Helly is led by her heart, bursting into Mr. Milchick’s (Tramell Tillman) office looking for Mark. While Mark hasn’t called in sick yet, he will not be making it into work. Devon (Jen Tullock) has arranged to meet Cobel, and while Mark doesn’t trust his former boss and neighbor, she is their best option. When Cobel eventually arrives, Mark dials up the snark when she asks how he is. “Oh, my God, so good. My wife’s being held prisoner at Lumon and I just got brain surgery in my basement.”

Without Mark, Team MDR continues to crumble as Dylan’s innie quits Lumon after Gretchen tells him she can no longer visit. Even a proposal with a homemade ring can’t save this sweet romance. After pleading with Irving not to end his innie’s life in the season premiere, Dylan makes the same choice. While Helly thinks outies don’t give a f---, Gretchen is trying to save this Dylan and Wever deftly portrays Gretchen’s conflict and anguish.

Helly tries to uplift Dylan by referring to Irving as his real family and that he left them a message. But Dylan doesn’t want a pep talk. Instead, he cruelly comments that no one could tell Helena was posing as her. Or rather, only Irving could tell. “I guess I’m an a--hole down here too,” Dylan says. Helly doesn’t let this deter her, finding Irving’s sketch and directions while Dylan resigns.

Love does strange things, and Burt has seemingly gone off-script by taking Irving to a train station. Burt insists he never hurt anyone, but he did drive people places: “I didn’t ask what happened to them once they got there.” So Burt is a Lumon goon. Not this time, though. After purchasing Irving a ticket, Burt says he can never return to Kier.

Perhaps it wasn’t about getting into heaven, but Burt says he liked being severed as he “could be innocent again.” But then his innocent half fell in love with Irving. “I’m ready,” Irving repeats, shooting his shot of romance on the outside. It is intimate and vulnerable, but Burt tells him they can’t. I was convinced Irving was going to get off the train. However, he is still on board (with his pet pooch) as it leaves the station.

Tension builds in “The After Hours” as scenes cut between Irving’s bon voyage, Dylan’s departure from the severed floor, Helly’s investigation into the exports hall, and Mark hiding in the back of Cobel’s newly acquired truck now the sun sets. Part of me also thought that Dylan would change his mind, but alas.

To access the specific birthing cottage, Devon poses as pregnant Lumon employee Marsha White from the ninth floor, specialties department. “She’s one of Jame’s,” Cobel tells the guard. This lie works and it seems like Helena might have a lot of half-siblings. “I’m looking for a gold thimble,” Cobel says.

Is this code? If anyone wants additional TV homework (the best kind), look no further than the Twilight Zone episode “The After Hours” involving a woman called Marsha, a gold thimble and an elevator ride to the ninth floor specialties department. The twist resolution of the 1960 episode fits this notion of what makes someone human, so it isn’t just a cute homage—and available to stream on Paramount+.

While the extra-curriculars need unpacking, Mark’s innie is activated when he enters cottage five. Devon guides her brother’s disoriented innie upstairs where Cobel is waiting by a fire. Devon asks what the last thing he said to her was: “She’s alive.” It is the same line that ended the ninth and final episode of Season 1, but thankfully we have another to go.

Even with all the recent revelations, the finale has much to resolve. At Lumon, Helly is alone in the dark MDR office trying to memorize the directions when her father enters. “You tricked me. My Helly,” Jame says. Is the Eagan patriarch talking about Helly going rogue? Did Helena have something to do with Irving’s train escape? “What the f---?” Helly replies. It’s like Helly read my mind.