Season 2 of AppleTV+’s popular science fiction psychological thriller series Severance comes to an intense end with an episode that has all the typical drama and twists. This season has been mostly about Mark Scout’s discovery about his wife, Gemma, being alive, despite him thinking that she had passed away in an accident two years ago, and his subsequent attempt to reunite with her. But the tech corporation, Lumon Industries, has been standing firmly between the two lovers, therefore creating the need for an elaborate plan to be hatched by Mark, with the help of his sister, Devon, and also the ex-floor manager at the company, Harmony Cobel. In Severance season 2 episode 10, Mark does find Gemma, after dealing with a number of conflicts and adversities, as there is utter disruption at the Lumon office.
Spoiler Alert
Why is there a conflict between Mark’s inner and outer selves?
Severance season 2 episode 10 begins right where episode 9 had ended, with Mark Scout waking up inside a cabin in the woods, evidently confused about where he was and what Harmony Cobel now wanted from him. Just a few minutes into this episode, it is clear that the cabin is actually the one that had been mentioned before by the characters, which basically allows one’s severed Innie consciousness to be accessed at any time. Therefore, Devon and Harmony had driven Mark’s Outie to the cabin in the hope of making him walk into the cabin and wake up his Innie self so that they can directly have a word with the man, since they need his help in rescuing Gemma. As Gemma has been established to be trapped on the lower floors of the Lumon office building, Innie Mark has to take the bold step of finding the elevator in the Exports Hall and getting into it before it is too late for her.
However, the consequences of this action might not be too positive for Innie Mark, and this is why he needs some convincing, first by Devon and Harmony, and then by his own Outie consciousness. As Innie Mark is overwhelmed by this sudden grand mission he is being recruited for, Devon mentions how his brave steps could finally bring an end to Lumon and their evil ways. Rescuing Gemma would not just save the helpless woman, it would also expose Lumon’s dirty secrets about severance to the world, which would surely bring down the company, and all their operations would be shut down. However, Devon’s emphatic pep-talk about how the supposed dream will be achieved sort of backfires, for it instantly makes Innie Mark question his own fate.
The Innies have always been quite questioning and suspicious about their own Outie selves, perhaps understandably so, as the latter have abandoned their Innie, or work consciousnesses, for their own benefit, to some extent. Therefore, Innie Mark immediately figures out that if Lumon is truly exposed and all their operations are stopped, it will mean that the severed floor at the office will also be shut down, which in turn makes it obvious that Mark and all the other Innies will also cease to exist and technically die. Soon, the conversation basically pits Innie Mark’s survival against the well-being or romantic reunion of his Outie self with his wife, and this is why a discussion, or debate, takes place in a rather unique style.
The cabin in the woods is designed to make the Innie self take over as soon as a severed individual walks into it, but as soon as they leave the confines of its walls, even by walking out onto the open balcony on the first floor, their Outie self would take over. Therefore, Outie Mark records a video of himself on a small camcorder from the balcony, in which he basically asks his Innie self to do his bidding inside the Lumon office and get him to the elevator in the Exports Hall. Since the severance chip works only on the floor that it is assigned to, Mark’s Outie self will take over as soon as his Innie steps into the elevator in the Exports Hall, and so the Innie’s responsibility would only be to guide their shared body to the place. Inside the cabin, Innie Mark makes a video of himself, intended for his Outie, in which he talks about how this proposition frightens him and how he does not want to die, after all.
Thus, a series of videos are made by both sides of Mark, from the balcony and from inside the cabin, respectively, with both of them putting their points forward. Interestingly, the color scheme used throughout Severance season 2 continues, as the Outie is seen in blue light from the cold night outside, while the Innie is marked by the warm red glow of the fire inside the cabin. Outie Mark tries to convince his Innie that a reintegration will be possible, which would mean that the latter would not die but would continue to live as part of Mark’s identity. But Innie Mark is quick to point out that since he has lasted for a very short time comparatively, his personality will be overshadowed by that of his Outie.
At one point, Outie Mark even tries to compare his love with his Innie’s love for Helly, and this is where he messes up, for he mistakenly calls the woman Heleny. Incidentally, Outie Mark had faced a similar moment of insensitivity earlier this season when Helena Eagan had taken Gemma’s name wrong in front of him, making it clear that she was actually not concerned about his feelings. Now, he makes a similar mistake with his Innie, which shows that he too is not concerned about his Innie’s feelings, also suggesting that he genuinely considers the Innie to be inferior to him. This turns Innie Mark completely against his Outie, and he refuses to help him rescue Gemma with a firm resolve.
What does Cold Harbor actually signify?
It is only when Harmony Cobel tells Innie Mark about the real significance of the Cold Harbor project and also what the exact work at the Macrodata Refining department is geared towards that he finally agrees to help Gemma out. Mark’s work at the MDR department involved clicking on seemingly random numbers and putting them into boxes, which would complete the boxes, or packages, after which he would move on to new files or packages. It is now revealed that all these numbers basically made Mark and the other workers feel some emotions at random, and it was based on these feelings that they clicked on the numbers to put them in boxes. Harmony reveals that all the files that Mark was given to handle basically controlled the four tempers in Gemma’s mind, meaning that her emotional state was being moderated and altered by Lumon and its employees.
The four tempers—woe, frolic, dread, and malice—are four emotional elements apparently discovered, or just made up, by Kier Eagan, and he studied every human’s physical and mental state based on these four elements. The company has been studying and researching the four tempers ever since Kier’s time, and this research is continuing to date. While the exact reason behind Gemma being kept hostage at the Lumon office or the specific intention behind the research still remain undisclosed at the end of season 2, it is clear that the operations at MDR are directed at controlling the emotions of Gemma and possibly more hostages like her.
Each of the data packages that Innie Mark completed during his time at the MDR department determined Gemma’s emotions, and they also essentially created more Innie versions of her. It is suggested that after having developed the severance technology, Lumon Industries is now interested in severing the employees further, and Gemma is their lab rat on whom they are experimenting with this technology. The Cold Harbor file is the final stage of the experiment, the completion of which will completely wipe Gemma’s mind clean and leave no trace of her real personality or self. Instead, there will exist numerous Innie versions of herself, which will serve Lumon financially in some way. From a theoretical sense, it can be assumed that there will be no Outie version of Gemma if Cold Harbor is completed, as there will only exist multiple Innie versions of her, as seen in each of the rooms on the underground research floor.
Why does Lorne intervene with Drummond to save Mark?
Once Innie Mark can be convinced by his Outie and Harmony Cobel to help save Gemma, he returns to work and completes the Cold Harbor data package, which sets into motion one last experiment by Lumon. This experiment has Gemma brought into a new room, where she goes through another stage of severance, and she is asked to disassemble a crib with the help of a screwdriver. The experiment seemingly tests whether she is able to follow orders and carry out everyday actions but, most importantly, remember nothing about herself. Gemma blankly states that she has no idea about herself, but she still continues working upon the orders of Dr. Mauer, which resembles the ultimate extent of submissiveness.
On the other side, Innie Mark manages to sneak out of the weird celebrations being held in his honor for having completed Cold Harbor and follow the directions to the Exports Hall, but he is unable to open the door to the place. As he bangs against it, the Lumon enforcer, Mr. Drummond, hears from the opposite room and runs out to stop him, clearly intending to kill him as well. But Lorne, the leader of the Mammalians Nurturable department, intervenes and fights Drummond, even though she does not technically have any reason to help Mark.
However, it is clear from Severance season 2 episode 10 that many of the employees of various departments, such as the Mammalians Nurturable and the Choreography and Merriment, have all started to question the ways of their employers. Lorne is particularly heard questioning how many times she will have to sacrifice innocent lambs, either to celebrate the completion of operations like Cold Harbor, which indicates that there are other victims like Gemma, or in hopes of finding the ideal successor to Kier Eagan. Being the nurturer of these animals, which is literally her job role, Lorne is also terribly bitter at her bosses but was unable to take any steps until someone else showed that first spark of courage.
While Mark had earlier visited the department and also encouraged the workers there to stand up against the oppressive employees, he now takes direct action when trying to stop Drummond, and this seemingly encourages Lorne as well. Therefore, she intervenes when Drummond is about to kill Mark, and although she almost shoots the enforcer at one point, Mark stops her from doing so. This is because Mark needs Drummond alive to access the door to the Exports Hall, and this decision eventually helps him get inside the room where Gemma is being held currently, as the literal blood of high-level employees is needed for it.
What happens to Dylan?
In the previous episode, Innie Dylan had officially resigned from his duties at Lumon, but he is seen returning to the office at present. He initially assumes that his Outie has rejected the resignation, because of which he is being dragged back to the workplace. However, reading a note written by his Outie makes Innie Dylan realize that the former is actually quite proud of him and his strong self-worth, and he also learns that his Outie has given him full liberty to leave the job if he wants. This note seems to strike a positive chord in Innie Dylan’s mind, and he finally decides to make use of his courage to help his friends out, possibly for one last time.
Therefore, Dylan rushes to help Helly keep Milchick at bay to buy Mark enough time to get to the Exports Hall. At the end of Severance season 2, Dylan seemingly manages to turn the workers of the Choreography and Merriment department against Milchick, and although we do not see it, they most probably attack and possibly even kill the floor manager out of rage against him. Dylan’s fate is also left unclear, and he will most probably leave the job, after all, because of which he takes the bold step of stopping Milchick at all costs. What exactly happens to him and whether he will continue to be a part of the Innies’ struggle against their employees will become clear only when the series returns with its 3rd season.
Did Mark And Gemma Finally Reunite In The End?
At the end of Severance season 2, Mark is able to reach his estranged wife, Gemma, in the research wing of the Lumon building, and he manages to pull her out of the room just in time to keep her real self alive. They flee the area and take the elevator back up to the MDR floor, which essentially puts Innie Mark back in charge. This is when one last twist takes place in the series, as Mark helps Gemma escape the facility but chooses not to join her himself. Innie Mark knows that he cannot believe his Outie, or Harmony Cobel, as their actions would definitely lead to his own death.
More than the end of his life, Innie Mark cares about being able to live with the love of his life, Helly, and so he chooses to be with her instead of letting his Outie reunite with Gemma. Thus, Innie Mark stays back inside the office and is seen running away with Helly, although their fate remains unknown. It is hard to imagine how Mark’s Innie consciousness can hope to live a life with Helly, who is once again an Innie, but there might be some way for them indeed. This also means that Mark is now trapped inside the Lumon building, just like Gemma had been till now, and so next season might be about her having to rescue her beloved. With Gemma at the center of the narrative, we might also get to learn about Lumon’s exact intentions with the experiments carried out on her, and so Severance season 3 will definitely be thrilling to look forward to.
