New ‘Severance’ Makes Some Major Reveals About the Outies

(Warning: Spoilers ahead)

It takes more than a Notes app apology to set the record straight in the world of Severance.

Instead, in Episode 2 of the new season, Helena Eagen (Britt Lower) records a video admitting it was a “joke and a lie” when she announced to the world that her innie was being tortured. The reason for this misjudged attempt at humor? It’s a classic case of mixing alcohol with (a non-Lumon) medication.

Appearing vulnerable, Helena appeals for empathy in this heartfelt missive about making a mistake: “I’m also human, just like my innie and just like you.” Last season, Helena couldn’t be more explicit about her position on whether her innie is a person (she isn’t, as per Helena in Season 1).

The second episode answers leftover questions about what happened to the characters’ outies after the premiere episode covered the innies and the severed floor. You will not be surprised to hear Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) has distorted reality, including how much time has passed.

“Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig” begins in the immediate aftermath of Dylan (Zach Cherry) activating the Overtime Contingency (OTC). Instead of triggering “Severance Reform,” all that follows is quickly formulated course corrections. It wasn’t five months between Mark’s (Adam Scott) innie going to work but 48 hours. He literally got his usual weekend off.

Splitting the innie and outie fallout into two distinct parts highlights the fabrication of the innie world. It is impossible to take Lumon’s word at face value, so it is reassuring that Mark’s sister Devon (Jen Tullock) refuses to share anything when Mr. Milchick asks about her conversation with Mark’s innie. Devon was already concerned about her brother’s employer, but now that she has met Mark’s innie, she knows it isn’t conspiracy and paranoia fueling this gut feeling.

What surprised me is Devon seemingly accepts that Mark’s innie was talking about his baby niece and not Gemma (Dichen Lachman) when he yelled, “She’s alive!” However, Devon is very much the audience surrogate, as she can’t stop thinking about this phrasing and wants to pursue alternative theories.

That’s not to mention that Devon’s spikiness toward Milchick goes beyond concern for her brother. Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) masquerading as a lactation consultant, Mrs. Slevig, is a violation of trust, targeting Devon at her most vulnerable. Cobel is the scapegoat for both innies and outies. She is the official root of the problem on the severed floor. To Mark and Davon, Milchick calls Cobel “severely unwell.”

Sure, Cobel is a Kier evangelical and a loose cannon who took an unorthodox approach to surveillance. She also knows her worth and immediately sees through the BS promotion to the “Severance Advisory Council” that Helena (Helly R.’s outie) offers. It is a battle of fake smiles and unflustered vibes in an almost empty Lumon boardroom.

“We fear no one,” Helena cooly replies when Cobel suggests the board is afraid of her. I would be scared if I were them because a believer without access to her place of worship is likely to do something desperate. Her father has just called Helena a “fetid moppet’ (an excellent name for a punk band), so Cobel doesn’t fluster her.

Cobel is not alone in wanting to return to the severed floor. Irving (John Turturro) and Dylan are at a loss after Milchick fires them for involvement in the OTC rebellion. With only a vague description of their infractions, it is hard for the men to understand why this has happened. Only Mark must finish “Cold Harbor,” which appeared as a file name at the end of last week’s episode. Stick this on the growing list of mysteries. Mark gets the weekend to think it over with Milchick leaning into emotional manipulation: “I’d hate to reward his courage with non-existence.”

It is a lot to take in, which might explain why Mark becomes defensive when Devon pursues the “she’s alive” comment the following day. Devon has spoken to a lawyer friend about legal options to petition information about Mark’s innie, but Mark is convinced Gemma is dead. After all, he identified her burned body. It is better to believe Gemma died in a car crash than the nefarious plot Devon alludes to. Could Ms. Casey be a clone of Gemma?

It is Gemma who Milchick uses to convince Mark to return. Milchick reminds Mark about what he wrote on his intake form: “You said since she died, every day feels like a year. You felt like you were choking on her ghost.” The powerful imagery is similar to how Devon described Mark’s mental state to his innie in the finale: “She was still in your veins, you know? Making everything hurt.” Milchick also says Mark’s innie is happy and has found love. Truth is buried in lies. But it has the desired effect.

Depicting Mark’s return to Lumon through arrivals and departures emphasizes the outie experience of employment. On the third day back (when Mark talks to the board via Milchick’s device), he leaves the office 12 minutes after arriving but immediately says “good night” to a confused security guard.

While Dylan and Irving aren’t necessary for Cold Harbor, Mark needs his team, which makes them essential. Drummond says the board has agreed to this, including Helly R. It doesn’t take much to get them to return—each receives a fruit basket with a prominent pineapple—and Dylan’s interview for a position at “Great Doors” is incredibly revealing.

It is a short scene, but Dylan’s past inability to stick at a job points to why he applied for Lumon. Here, we also get a further taste of how some people think the severed procedure is “abhorrent.” That voice you hear as Dylan’s wife is the excellent Merritt Wever, and I cannot wait to see Dylan’s family life. Cracking this door open adds dimension to Mark’s MDR team, but what about Helena?

Earlier in the episode, Helena studies the video of Mark and Helly’s kiss. What is she looking for? It is only two episodes into the new season, and the theorizing is already heating up (I am sure the terrifyingly beautiful new version of the opening credits will add to the speculation). I thought Helly’s lie about what she experienced in the outside world was shame-based. Instead, there is a compelling argument that Helena, not Helly R, returned to work.

After reading this speculation, I looked closer this week, discovering another clue hinting that Helena is playing undercover. When Mark, Dylan, and Irving enter the elevator, the light changes; a ping is likely the moment the innie persona is activated. When Helena steps in, we don’t see what color (if any) it changes because the camera pans up, but we also don’t hear the ping. No cameras or microphones monitor the MDR; having a person on the inside who Mark is attracted to offers even more insight. How diabolical!

Cobel could blow this whole thing open, but in the same way, she didn’t tell Mark about Gemma; she also doesn’t reveal Helly’s outie identity when Mark confronts her. To work for Lumon Industries, you have to be a skilled liar. Or rather, to work for Lumon Industries as an unsevered employee, you have to be a skilled liar. Helena Eagan might be one of the best. Harmony Cobel might be the runner-up.