Spoilers under for Severance’s newest episode for anybody who hasn’t but streamed it with an Apple TV+ subscription, so be warned!
Not often has an episode of tv caught a harpoon by my coronary heart and ripped it out fairly as brutally as Severance did with its episode “Chikhai Bardo,” and it’s technically not the primary time it’s occurred throughout the 2025 TV schedule to date. (Dropping Irv as an ORTBO consequence was additionally extremely damaging to the soul.) We now know a number of the darkish and miserable issues that Lumon has put Gemma Scout by, and with that info, new contextualizations emerged.
Lumon execs began watching Mark and Gemma when their relationship was based, and appear to prioritize the couple greater than some other workers, proving repeatedly it’ll go to any lengths to attain its desired objectives. So after witnessing Robbie Benson’s Dr. Mauer make the most of myriad torture methods with Gemma, all below the watchful eyes of 1 underling or one other, I began rethinking the prior episode’s key alternate between Helena Eagan and Outie Mark (oMark for brief).
I Initially Thought Helena Sought Mark Out As a result of He And Helly Shared Vessels
Britt Decrease and Adam Scott’s respective skills and mutual chemistry have been on full show throughout the sixth episode’s “probability” Chinese language restaurant encounter. The scene jumped from innocently uncomfortable to friskily amorous to harshly poisonous — sufficient to trigger oMark to run away from the desk — and the total extent of Helena’s motivations remained mysterious all through, whilst she clearly grasped for information about his OTC expertise.
And name me a basic-brained lump, however I believed that one among Helena’s largest causes for having an in-person dialog with oMark stemmed from the truth that Helly and iMark had intercourse earlier within the day. Whether or not her intentions would have been psychosexual and malicious or sincerely intrigued by oMark’s character (or each, I assume), I am unsure. However the truth that these characters’ our bodies are having intercourse even when their minds aren’t, I feel we will agree that is bizarre and is a purpose to handle somebody in public.
I do nonetheless consider that Helena entered that restaurant absolutely conscious of her innie’s personal assembly with iMark, with or with out safety footage, however I not suppose that fucking with oMark’s head about it was her strongest impulse.
I Assume Helena Wished To Be Seen In Public With Mark
Viewers know that among the many many devious issues that Lumon pulls off, “surveilling workers” is previous trick for previous canine like Drummond. We have already seen the bearded Lumon enforcer retaining his eyes on Mark throughout a public meal with Devon, and we have seen the deep-voiced goon sneakily coming into Irving’s home and searching by his Lumon-related paperwork.
Since Mr. Milchick has to date all the time chosen to method the corporate’s workers at dwelling fairly than within the wild, Helena may have additionally gone that route, since she little doubt is aware of precisely when he is dwelling and when he isn’t. So why did she select to method him out within the open?
In order that another person on Lumon’s payroll may take photos of them sitting on the similar desk and smiling collectively. On the time “Atilla” aired, this concept would not have made a lot sense, however the context that Episode 207 offers makes it extra palatable for the speculative thoughts.
Close to the top of “Chikhai Bardo,” Dr. Mauer’s hyper-gross vitality got here out in full drive as his analysis become proddig Gemma about having emotional emotions for one of many many bizarro personas he took on within the Testing Flooring’s rooms. And when she did not chunk, he dropped one other huge Lumon lie by saying Mark had moved on after her demise, and that he was with one other lady.
Gemma additionally did not instantly purchase into this declaration. Nevertheless, Mauer was convincing sufficient to plant a seed of doubt in her thoughts massive sufficient to spark an escape try. (Although seemingly not her first, given the remark concerning the doc’s fingers being damaged at one level.)
Clearly the corporate’s seemingly huge array of artists who created the stop-motion Lumon Constructing’s “Microdat Rebellion” video may absolutely whip up an artificially generated picture of oMark having an excellent time with one other lady. And I’ve to suppose that a few of them did. However the subsequent smartest thing could be a real-life state of affairs the place oMark can seem smitted by one other lady lengthy sufficient for somebody to take a number of photos, with out anybody having to say the second the place Helena deliberately acquired Gemma’s title mistaken simply to get an increase out of the not-quite-a-widower.
Which is all to say, I absolutely count on a recovered Dr. Mauer to interrupt Gemma’s coronary heart within the close to future by exhibiting her the pictures and enjoying up how comfortable oMark appears smiling and speaking with Helena. I nonetheless do not suppose that’ll be sufficient to completely break her spirit, however I am already dreading the look on her face as she tries to kind out these feelings.
It is Laborious To Be Optimistic About Mark And Gemma Reuniting
if Dr. Mauer is actually in a position to persuade Gemma that Mark has moved on, then issues might go absolutely south within the type of self-harm, or Gemma may really feel so defeated that she simply turns right into a zombified husk because the trials proceed. These are arguably the 2 worst-case situations.
However any manner one slices it, there are not any variations of this story the place oMark and Gemma are in a position to dwell collectively within the outdoors world with out some type of further trauma being thrown in, a minimum of with out each single chip-switch being disabled throughout the Lumon constructing. Barring such an influence outage, Gemma leaving the constructing would probably require iMark giving Ms. Casey the total low-down on all the pieces after which convincing her to successfully kill each herself and Mark’s innie by becoming a member of him on the principle Severed Flooring elevator. Looks as if the simplest possibility, however the weight of the sacrifice cannot be ignored.
Hopefully Severance ends with speaking goats studying storybooks concerning the MDR characters to their offspring. Nicely possibly not hopefully. In any case, solely three new episodes stay in Season 2, and they’re going to proceed to stream Fridays on Apple TV+.