Severance Season 2 Episode 2 Breakdown | Recap & Review

[@PetePeppers1]

Part two of a great start for this season. I'll be going live tonight at 9 p.m. ET to discuss it with Jim from Bald Move. Join us and bring your questions. kzbin.infog6DKGjVRdcE

[@yvessergetshefu4462]

Well mark importance was probably influenced by the actor’s conditions to return if your didn’t know the Main Character wasn’t supposed to be only Mark meaning that normally he wasn’t supposed to be in the main center of the story but one among many and obviously Helena should have been the center as she’s an Eagan

[@leeci33]

18:00 most severed people don’t have many emotions, Helena was RAISED that way and has learned to suppress them because of the ideology of her family. Her innie is so rebellious because on the inside she’s screaming to be herself every day.

[@HimanshuGhadigaonkar]

yeah exactly, in the first season, when it was revealed shes an egan, i realized its totally her repressed side

[@Mmm22ee]

Wow u gave deep good thought to it

[@PetePeppers1]

I was just watching the Inside the Episode clip for this week, and Brit Lower said Helena is forced to wear a mask while Helly is no mask and no filter.

[@grzegorzpajduszewski1452]

U can also see, how shes desperate for love and feelings. She revinded the kiss momen, and her eyes litteraly locked in

[@eumgsyau6141]

This might actually explain the theory of Helly actually being Helena. Perhaps it isn't anything sophisticated - maybe she just wants to be her actual self for the first time in her life.

[@rachelvoiles9699]

The cast of this show is superb, the writing is phenomenal and the production is amazing. This is the gold standard of television.

[@PetePeppers1]

It's crazy that they can do things like have Christopher Walken and Bob Balaban show up for less than 30 seconds of combined screen time.

[@Vaidulis]

Wait a minute. You can do it now? I thought it was thing of early 2000.

[@johnlombardo7816]

@@Vaidulis what, cameos? i dont think they ever stopped, but i do agree getting walken specifically as a small cast member is brilliant! I hope to see a few more make small appearances as well, especially if this show continues for a 3rd season and is as big of a hit as it appears it is to most!

[@andreasaslaksen4430]

Best show on twlevision.

[@PlectrumShorts]

8:15 I am constantly struck by the depth of Mark and Devon’s relationship from an acting and writing perspective. To me, it doesn’t come off as strictly a plot device. There is subtlety, humor, playfulness, love, sibling affection, conflict, and with that, occasional childishness. I’m really impressed by their interactions.

[@isaacgraham5727]

You should listen to the official podcast that Ben Stiller and Adam Scott did together, they just dropped it a few weeks ago and it covers the first season and the new episodes of the second season. There’s an episode with Jen Tullock as a guest, and it’s really fascinating to hear her and Adam Scott talk about how they pulled that off.

[@volisardba6060]

Link please ?​@@isaacgraham5727

[@AF564]

genuinely feels like im watching two real siblings chat it out haha

[@PlectrumShorts]

@@isaacgraham5727 I’ll check that out! Thanks for the tip.

[@cacogenicist]

Yeah, it's a very genuine sort of portrayal of siblings who are both very smart.

[@silosara]

Dylan’s “you poor up there” comment was a foreshadow.

[@JoeNasr123]

Pete Peppers, you've got by far the BEST Severance analysis on KZbin. Thank you!

[@siwi666]

I agree! Flawless.

[@rogermazuca4582]

It's okay but ThinkStory and Cortex are really good as well. Then there's the attention to detail from Reel Enigmas and theories. ✅

[@nomadicivories]

Also the best Better Call Saul analysis on KZbin

[@ricksmith2127]

The cinematography of this episode was fantastic

[@jimmyp410]

It's interesting to learn this was a 1st time director for this episode. He absolutely nailed it. Those scenes of Helena watching the cctv, especially the tight zooming of her pupil was able to say everything without a single word being said. The cinematography throughout the whole episode was just phenomenal.

[@lancetschirhart7676]

What did that scene say? That she does not have love in her life?

[@Wico90YT]

Lumon "killed" Gemma and brought her in. Marks completing her profile to generate a matching consciousness. If they can do that, they can reserect Keir or have the Egans live forever

[@anonymator]

I was thinking the same: research into mind upload and/or some sort of immortality

[@themiddleman781]

Maybe Cobelvig killed Gemma. That’s why she is so invested in Mark

[@7techno77]

​@@themiddleman781Well she certainly knew who she was.... I do wonder if that child is their daughter or not but seems not... Wasn't he severed for 4 or so years?

[@runningisfast]

@@themiddleman781 yeah in the first season she was wanting mark to go to wellness to probably see gemma or something. she has some invested interest or feels bad for him.

[@cindytartt4048]

I don’t think they need to bring back the robber baron Kier. Do they?

[@paularized1]

This episode was unrealistic. Only because the door prize joke would absolutely have landed.

[@guyjperson]

I would like to give more than one thumb up to this observation.

[@KiloPage777]

I think it was more to show just how uncomfortable and on edge being in an interview is. Even the obsession with doors felt weird and you can kind of see he is lying to him and trying too hard and that's why the joke doesn't land because the interviewer picks up on it. He's doing anything to get the job.

[@MrYuargai]

Doors are no joking matter, it's serious business

[@rogermazuca4582]

Yeah he said he didn't like door puns. Reminded me of Office Space when Michael Bolton says to the consultants just call me Mike.

[@shuckLedurkins]

Dude I swear on my fathers grave bro when he said “ever since I was a kid I always wanted to be a door” I fell out of my seat laughing and when he asked what kind with two different options. And Dylan says “thin-gloss” I almost threw myself at the wall that shit was too fucking funny oh my fucking god dude idk why it was hilarious I don’t think they can top it tbh

[@Unitos_]

Gemma is one layer deeper, and one level high in the order of importance. Mark is important, because he's the key to completing Gemma.

[@runningisfast]

what do you mean one layer deeper and higher?

[@Unitos_]

@runningisfast There is a figurative and literal depth of the company. The deeper floors are more sinister and clandestine.

[@evanward4303]

Milkshake is more two-faced than any severed character

[@AerielFerguson]

And here I was hearing pete saying milcheck😂

[@briangreene7085]

hahaha, good one bro

[@diegoroca100]

i love how the entire internet has collectively decided to call him milkshake without ever coordinating

[@NaijaCINE]

@@diegoroca100because the show cued us to, just like the pineapples. As Ms Corel says, we are easily swayed.

[@RandomNPC001]

@@NaijaCINE Pineapples are clones of the pineapples that came before (just like bananas). You grow pineapples from the crowns thus creating a clone of the original.

[@kevinwheesysouthward9295]

In episode 2 of season 1, Mark was wondering if Petie is drunk on a beach or dead. Milchick immediately stops him and says “that happens out there. We are protected from things like death in here”. I think that is a huge clue to what Lumon is up to.

[@guillermija]

Thanks for bringing that up, I had completely forgot about it

[@lauramcguan]

I really like how EMPTY the whole town seems to be. Very Edward Hopper painting

[@nevetsny1]

The filming location (Mark’s house) is very close to where Hopper once lived. There is a museum nearby. Nyack NY.

[@MrMcLovinMcLovin]

I noticed this too. Almost post-apocalyptic.

[@lauramcguan]

@@MrMcLovinMcLovin or robots populating a neighborhood

[@DanielBurapavong]

1:14 Someone on Reddit made a video of the MDR employees entering and exiting the elevator in episodes 201 and 202 side by side. The timing of the entries and exits between the two episodes is impeccable!

[@LacklusterFilms]

I think burt and irv might know each other on the outside, would be a good reason to not show what happens after burt opens the door in the season 1 finale yet. *door opens* "Irving? What are you doing here?"

[@francescaa8331]

I think you might be on to something.

[@lynarong1072]

I think Irv's father knows Burt

[@neutralmysteryhotel]

I think they're exes!!! Or had an affair

[@semblt]

I think Irv was calling a message line for himself.

[@LacklusterFilms]

@@neutralmysteryhotel that thought definitely crossed my mind

[@slimhazard]

Episode 1 brought us Milkshake the Shambolic Rube. Episode 2 brought us Fetid Moppet. Season 2‘s got the retro cool insults going on, I‘m here for it.

[@akajulzzz]

"It's night time, it's dark, it's Christopher Walken" IM SOBBING LMFAOOOO

[@timbeaton5045]

Erickson did indeed work at a door factory, and the job's tedious repetition was part of the birth of the ideas that formed Severance. Also note that Drummond was played by Ólafur Darri Ólafsson who also played the drunken helicopter pilot in Ben Stiller's Walter Mitty movie.

[@hbeachley]

He has such an iconic voice.

[@usquebaugh1]

I loved Walter Mitty and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson's minor role as the drunken helicopter pilot. He was also great in the Icelandic TV series "Trapped" (which WIKI describes as Mystery, Thriller, Nordic noir) where he plays the lead role as a kind of James Gandolfini-esque "chief of police in a remote town in Iceland, solving the murder of a former townsman whose mutilated corpse is recovered by fishermen."

[@ive3336]

Dylan going for a job interview at a door company was some deep cut stuff haha, was listening to an interview with the writer Dan Erikson and he talks about how before developing the script for Severance he worked at a door factory and developed the idea of switching off your brain in some form before starting work and just waking up after the shift which led to the development of the show! just a great little easter egg. Have to say also I think you missed an important detail about Dylan in that he was very curious about health benefits so I assume either his wife or one of his children has a medical condition (expensive chronic one most likely) which is why he needs the work so much so I think he is going through his own major issues.

[@Javonny]

I think that his wife has a health condition. When Milchick fires Dylan, Dylan’s mentions “What am I supposed to tell my wife?”. Also in season 1 when he first tries to escape, they mention to his innie a message from his wife.

[@kimmiecarne]

I totally agree. And they aren’t showing her. If she isn’t sick, maybe it’s a child. Definitely feel like he has a sick family member. He was only concerned with what the healthcare benefits would be.

[@ThisAbilityClinic]

Love this insight. I wonder if the files Dylan has worked on are related to his ill family member (most likely wife). What if his wife is just the most recent iteration of what Lumon has created as his wife and his wife actually passed years ago similar to Gemma? 🤟🏼

[@thorstwistedbeard6314]

This was a much more satisfying episode than the first. It’s basically what we all wanted to see after the S1 finale.

[@tdiens420420]

Yes but I actually think the way they did it was brilliant.

[@julialenochkina]

Please enjoy all episodes equally

[@PennytheBALLstar13]

😐😐

[@thorstwistedbeard6314]

@ Agreed.

[@katwashere194]

I just rewatched both of them back to back. I highly recommend it. Pretty brilliantly done.

[@juggla1983]

The reflection on helly eye when she was watching the video was a nice touch. idk why but i really like that

[@iamtheiceman]

They should have made her pupil get larger when watching that as it would have indicated that she was affected emotionally by the romantic encounter. I think it is pretty clear anyways that she is intrigued by having a love interest and maybe even feels sympathy for the innies.

[@juggla1983]

@iamtheiceman i agree 💯

[@comedyfish]

ooh a thought! Maybe Cold Harbour is like suspended animation - reaminating the dead kind of thing - putting memories back into those on ice or something - Mark's wife as a test case

[@jamesbuckley8917]

Gemma's car is shown crashed in a frozen pond in the new intro. That is Cold Harbor.

[@clay___doh]

@@jamesbuckley8917I actually think that looks like cobel’s car. We know Gemma’s crash happened on a forest road and mark eluded to the fact that her body was burnt.

[@dkarras]

@@clay___dohmaybe but I think it’s more likely that outtie Mark was lied to & presented a burnt body that he can’t identify. Gemma being on the testing flow after being extracted from a car in a frozen lake has more to do w/ Mark than Cobel crashing into a lake at some point down the line (based on what info we have so far).

[@TheXodiacKiller]

I immediately thought of cryogenic freezing

[@JennyVendeCasas]

The elevator doesn’t ding when she goes down. It does with the others…Helena!

[@kraken2769]

YES!!!!

[@ProducerEXL]

This.

[@cindytartt4048]

Oh no, not this.

[@ProducerEXL]

​@@cindytartt4048 oh, most definitely, this. Be ready. You've been warned! 😬

[@iamtheiceman]

Exactly.

[@ANALOUEMMA]

Thoughts on first watch: -Plot twist : Helena falls in love with Marks innie -What the heck do you make about Rebecks comment about not punishing the baby because it wasn’t “it’s” fault? What!?? This means something for sure -Irving is the creator of all the artwork on the severed floor. -The town of Kier is not an ordinary place but an elaborate experiment where all residents are/were part of some Lumon experiment -Lumon might exist in a parallel universe-a reality where Kier, PE

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

The door place had weird name on door. The lack of people in most of the scenes. The guy looked like Dylan. Mr Drummond looks like Ricken.

[@dkarras]

@@JohnSmith-bq6nf”Great Doors”

[@RickOShea-777]

If you watched season 1, you would know Irving was a painter.

[@bellamartel7523]

not sure about all of the other points but i would love is hellys outie falling in love with mark and vice versa. it would make having to wake up one helly or the other an interestingly challenging choice.

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

@@bellamartel7523 looks like she will based on the behind the scenes

[@JaredWilbanks]

Glad to see you tackling season 2 Pete! Loved all of your Better Call Saul recaps and have no doubt I will continue to enjoy these Severance ones. Thank you and keep up the good work!!!

[@mantra_ephemera]

The fact that anyone is super convinced either way whether Helena is pretending to be Helly or not should tell you there’s no way it’s that simple. Nothing in this show is that simple.

[@jacobdenness8659]

Yeah at this point it’s a toss up

[@spricket24]

yes lol i was refreshing for this 🔥 THANK YOU!!

[@2626mart]

I’m not sure I believe 100 % that Helena is showing softness towards the video of her innie and mark s having a tender moment and kissing. I think there’s a possibility she’s just closely studying her innie to make sure she can have the same mannerisms.

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

The outside is very weird. The door guy looks like Dylan and Drummond looks like Ricken. I’m surprised cloning isn’t happening.

[@HouseCoatClub]

I was wondering if Drummond might actually be related in some way to Ricken, they look so much a like

[@semblt]

I have been saying since the dinner party episode, the outies are also innies. The whole town is inside

[@HouseCoatClub]

@@semblt that’s a great theory

[@easyxyg]

You answered your own question, cloning is DEFINITELY going on!

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

@@easyxyg cast denied it multiple times like in entertainment weekly. I do think goats are human babies they are experimenting on though

[@marknovak6498]

Knew it was not five months but I also was pleasantly surprised by the less than wild but surreal backstory.

[@samsaek666]

FETID MOPPET

[@blackaddam9033]

As one door closes, another opens

[@richboyprado]

I’m just a Pocket door 🚪

[@Prukings]

Stalled reference?

[@jbug1979]

😂

[@sammytweedy7655]

Better not be any doorprizes 😡

[@360Fov]

During the intro sequence Hellie and Mrs. Casey share the same body and it flickers and shows them both. It was a cool subtle effect.

[@lawrencecirillo3233]

One detail I noticed regarding Helena vs. the other “Outies”, is that when she went into the elevator they did NOT cut to the show showing the “outie” transforming into an “innie.” Omitting that one detail just keeps the debate of who actually is on the severed floor alive.

[@cindytartt4048]

Exactly. It’s a debate . Flooded with herrings

[@iamtheiceman]

Also the fact that the elevator made a very loud ding after the doors closed and then started moving (for everyone else), but for Helena it did not make that sound at all and then the elevator started moving. This means whatever triggers the implant did not happen for Helena as she went in the elevator.

[@bncbcbbc31]

They didn’t do it for any of them besides mark

[@iamtheiceman]

@@bncbcbbc31 watch it again. Yes they did.

[@lawrencecirillo3233]

@ so not true. watch again

[@heartofdawn2341]

So if they only had 48 hours to put this together, where did Ms Huang come from, and how was she so ready to step into Milcheck's role? And it's interesting that in the meeting about building Mark's new team that they don't mention her at all.

[@madeline569]

She's probably from the testing floor. Why else would a child be doing an adult's job. They couldn't publicly hire a child without a lot of question from the public. So they being one of their own in like ms.casey

[@Nor808]

I still don’t get how is Mark not connecting all of this with whatever his college Petey told him before he died!!

[@iamtheiceman]

I agree he seems to be quite dense regarding that. Maybe now because Cobel seems to be hiding something he will wake up and figure out that something really is going on down there.

[@katwashere194]

Yes! I mean he met Regahbi and saw her kill Doug Grainer. He saw petey die, and went to his funeral out of curiosity. Where is this curiosity now?

[@sixtwosue22]

@@katwashere194 I've been thinking about that too, but remember he hasn't told Devon any of this - so perhaps he was still holding back his misgivings about Lumon and covering it with his grief over Gemma?

[@amyfrushourkelly4965]

GREAT POINT! Replying here so this stays in mind for later in the season.

[@katwashere194]

@@sixtwosue22 good point. I hope you’re right, otherwise it makes no sense for him to just ignore all that

[@vokin]

I had to rewind to confirm, but it's almost certain Helena is not changing. For the first three going down in the elevator, it dings when they put their card in and then dings again (and it shows the triangle turn off) right as the doors close and then you hear the elevator descending. When it's Helena's turn, it dings when she puts her card in, but then it zooms in on her so you can't see the arrow anymore. However, as it really zooms in on the doors closing you also never hear a second ding as the doors touch (which they are making very obvious in the shot!), only the sound of the elevator descending. Have to assume that second ding is "the innie switch is on", and thus Helena is going down, not Helly.

[@JohnKobylarz]

Yeah me too. I wasn’t sure if they are being coy, trying to misdirect us, or if it’s actually happening. But after they never showed us her transformation, I realized that is too much of an intentional decision.

[@iamtheiceman]

You are exactly right. The switch never happens for her and she remains as Helena on the severed floor. I wonder though if Helena disabled this herself because she wanted to experience a romantic relationship and did not tell anyone else that she had done so so perhaps even her own people believe that she is doing the normal switch to Helly.

[@katwashere194]

Pretty brave for a fetid moppet 😂

[@Javonny]

I noticed that too. They’re definitely hinting that as a plot point this season

[@procsorted]

7am watch for me this morning. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in this episode, looking forward to hearing your thoughts as ever.

[@Yolligraphone]

The biggest mystery to me is how Lumon was able to produce that insanely detailed Claymation video in only two days. Claymation is very time-consuming. It's just amazing that they were able to come up with that whole thing, from concept, to execution, to editing, to completely changing the Break Room, all in the span of two days.

[@Fred.pSonic]

Today's AI can produce short movies from an image rather quickly. It's possible that in the near future world of Severance that tomorrow's AI's can produce claymation-style movies just as fast. The "Microdat" misspelling reminds me how today's AI gets words messed up all the time. Like the badly photoshopped phony newspaper and the quickly painted over Wellness Room these were rush jobs.

[@hillaryhawthorne3152]

I think it was more than 2 days before they all came back.

[@Yolligraphone]

​@Fred.pSonic Could be, but generative AI technology hasn't been established as a part of the Severance universe up to this point. Which isn't to say it's not possible, but there have been 0 references to it in the show thus far. There are also points in the animation where recordings of the innies can be heard. To me, this points to it being hand-crafted, or at least edited by a human.

[@Yolligraphone]

@hillaryhawthrone3152 Milchik said that he put the new team together in 48 hours. The 5 months thing was a lie. The OTC happened over the weekend. Mark didn't even miss a day of work.

[@Fred.pSonic]

@ Yes the voices are real and snippets of the surveillance audio track was edited into the claymation to scare the living daylights out of the workers that "Lumon is listening". Future AI is not mentioned because not a whole lot has been explained yet, one of the biggest reasons why sleuths like you and I are such big fans of the show.

[@jamesv5802]

Great direction. Amazing shots this episode.

[@BigManAsh82]

There's usually a dull "ding" that goes off as each person crosses over to the severed floor when they go down the lift. When Helena was in the lift, there was no "ding." It's the one thing I was listening out for when she got into the lift and the door closed, and I didn't hear it.

[@JackReacher0125]

I didn't notice that, but have been wondering since last week if Outtie Helly is infiltrating the severed floor by impersonating Innie Helly. I understand Innie Helly not wanting to announce she's an Eagan, because she hates them and any association with them, but lying just seems out of character for the character.

[@louisianimal24]

@@BigManAsh82 the ding happened, it was just played as the door was opening before she stepped in, instead of after it starts descending like for the rest of the innies

[@iamtheiceman]

Absolutely. This is why she is Helena. Her switcheroo is turned off, and she remains as Helena down there, to infiltrate the innies. Now one thing I think can also be considered is the fact that Helena actually wants to experience the romantic relationship with Mark and is disabling the switch to any so that she herself can experience it by going down to the severed floor and that she has not told anybody that she is doing this.

[@iamtheiceman]

​@@louisianimal24No. Watch it again. There is a ding that happens after the doors close. This thing happens for everyone except Helena. The person enters the elevator then the doors closed then there is a ding then the elevator starts moving. This happens for everybody except Helena. There is no ding at all after the doors closed and the elevator moves....for Helena. Watch it again you will see.

[@louisianimal24]

@ yeah noticed it after I said that. My mistake

[@Gwynhwfer]

Rickon has a backstory that involves the Egans. Devon is becoming aware that he possibly can’t be trusted. That is why she meets Mark at the Diner privately, or so she thinks. While in Rickon’s presence she verbally agrees with him but behaviorally shows she has questions. Rickon is aware that that the motorcycle helmet is recording them and performs before it. Lumon industries is aware of him and tracks him, Ms. Corbel knows how many books he has written, Milchick actually reads this “forbidden book”, and they include him in the fake newspaper. I just can’t figure out if he is pro Lumon or not. Maybe a little of both? He may have an agenda of his own……? Also, he looks like an Egan. I do speculate that he may be a descendant of Ambrose Egan, the short lived CEO of Lumon’s past, the Black Sheep of the Family.

[@ElderStatesman]

Just a thought... The titles for each file the innies on the severed floor are working on correspond to how each person on the testing floor presumably died. If you pay attention to the new title sequence, there's a car submerged in a frozen pond/lake as outie Mark finds a balloon of his innie to float up on. (Perhaps an allusion to him using the severed work to escape his grief) That Gemma may have crashed over a bridge into a body of water, but Lumon was able to pick up her body or resuscitate her while replacing her with a double who's "burned" near a tree. "Cold Harbor" would signify the true manner of her presumed death. Kinda want to look back through the first season and see if there's anything else that could confirm this.

[@dogbrochure]

I like your theory and hope it’s true. But wouldn’t outie Mark be suspicious if Gemma’s car crashed into a cold lake, but her body was burned? Unless Lumon pulled the car out, dried it off and planted another body before the cops arrived, I suspect that’s foreshadowing something else

[@whiteman2707]

OMG, the prospective employer Dylan was talking to looked like an exact clone of him! I had to look on IMDB to make sure this wasn't a dual role that Zach Cherry was playing this episode!

[@jamesbuckley8917]

Gemma's car is shown crashed in a frozen pond in the new intro. That is Cold Harbor.

[@sandydee4546]

I think that’s Cobelvig’s car. Mark mentions a “burned body” - so I don’t think that would happen in ice? 🤔

[@dkarras]

@@sandydee4546 oh you precious soul thinking Mark was told the truth about the circumstances of his wife’s “death” in a company town in which said company is in possession of “his wife” & even has had his severed self interact w/ her. Shine on you crazy diamond, bless your heart. 😜 (I’m teasing not being mean). Gemma crashed in a frozen lake & Lumon retrieved her to use for their testing floor project. They staged/told Mark she crashed into a tree & presented him w/ a burned body to “identify” (in so far as a burned body can be conclusively identified) sufficient enough to sell him the story & obfuscate w/ additional trauma upon his grief. They need Mark S. to “complete the Cold Harbour file” which is Gemma per the end of last week.

[@sandydee4546]

@@dkarras Huh, I thought she might be burned underneath her clothes - as she has this high up “cardigan” or they “repaired” her somehow. Seems a lot to go through (to stage all that) to make Mark believe that she was burned. Could she not just have been declared “just dead” - because of trauma or whatnot? Kinda odd. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@themiddleman781]

Pineapples are how Lumon views humanity: hard and prickly on the outside (Outtie), but sweet and helpful on the inside (Innie). The Innies are the best versions of ourselves.

[@RandomNPC001]

Pineapples are clones of the pineapples that came before (just like bananas). You grow pineapples from the crowns thus creating a clone of the original.

[@RandomNPC001]

If you assume that the volumes in the newspaper (VOL. 51,903 since the year 1893) 3:04 is the same as daily publications, the date in the time of printing of the fake article (Taking the what we know to be a fake publication at face value) would give us the year 2035.

[@RandomNPC001]

Is Lumon trying to decode the human soul in order to control human freewill?! (Darkseid and the anti-life equation comes to mind)

[@RandomNPC001]

How you been bro?!

[@esLBCmc]

Pineapples are the universal sign of hospitality..

[@iluvsakuraandsyaoran]

im still shocked the door prize joke didn't land. that shit was gold.

[@beyond_the_tequila_rift3194]

Irving, I believe, is part of the resistance juxtaposing his inner Lumon loyalist persona.

[@dkarras]

Upon hearing him say more that BURT!!!! this ep, the characterization of outtie Irv being so similar to his innie when talking to Milchick didn’t fit w/ the somber painter / ex-military that we’ve been show. So ok, a cover persona. But how so similar to his innie ? Like how would he know what his innie was like ? Maybe it’s just a perception bias on my behalf and it’s actually in line w/ how he really is. Could be he isn’t ex-military at all too and the medals et al are all his dad’s. Either way outtie Irv definitely knows a lot about what’s going on down there.

[@katwashere194]

I wonder if Irv was calling Regahbi from that phone booth. Is he getting reintegrated? He paints the severed floor and he sees black paint while down there. Who did he call is what I want to know.

[@BSRWeddingFilms]

Outstanding episode 10/10

[@adamdoyle1290]

25:28 the elevator beeps after everyone goes down, but it doesn’t beep when Helena goes down..

[@iamtheiceman]

You've got it .

[@larrybenkenobi1407]

Yup

[@JohnPowell6]

I'm in the Helly camp - In this episode we find out that Lumon needs the MDR department to complete it's work. That is why they capitulated to Mark's demand to get his team back. They were hoping he would work with the new team, but he rebelled. Helena wouldn't be able to do that work, and there's nothing to be gained from her spying on the innies. So it is Helly we see back on the severed floor. Looking forward to confirmation of this next week.

[@donaldsmith8648]

I've never watched this show.. just here to hit the like.. cuz you my ninja love this channel

[@jgons]

You should. It’s fantastic.

[@francescaa8331]

It's worth watching.

[@vikram_diwan9405]

Go watch it dude

[@Winstonbfit]

You really should

[@bakedpotatoe3181]

It’s a must watch show

[@MichaelLockhart-nx8op]

25:15 - There is a clue during this scene. For the other 3 going in the elevator you clearly hear the "ding" from the elevator after the door closes, but for Helly it does not "Ding" - the elevator door just closes.

[@In5idious1989]

Great work as always Pete! Fyi the name Aoife is pronounced "Ee-Fa", not phonetically; Irish feminine name

[@Emjay.d]

I think that somehow Mark made a breakthrough In whatever they are refining. I think the reason he got the bust was bc he refined faster than anyone had before- this is probably directly related to the trauma of loosing Gemma being so strong in his psyche that he was able to refine her very well. They obviously care to keep Mark bc he is doing something important. They NEED him back specifically. To the point that they gave him a raise, and gave into his demands to get him back to work. Mark W notes that his team never met quota- I think that Mark S’ team is the first to really make headway in refining effectively and that is bc of Mark.

[@themiddleman781]

Oh, and maybe Fetid Moppet is a code phrase the Kiers use to make sure it’s not an Innie version they are taking to

[@lauramcguan]

That’s Scientology coded

[@alexbayles9030]

I believe they need mark because he is the only one who knew Gemma/Casey's original personality. Which in season one said every human soul/personality was derived from the four tempers. On the cold harbor file it listed different values for the four tempers for gemma/casey's file.

[@cacogenicist]

Helena obviously being intrigued by her innie's relationship with Mark while watching the security cam footage, plus that future episode clip showing the two of them getting it on, leads me to conclude that it's all Helena this season -- and Helena, out of some sort of jealousy and envy and perhaps resentment of her innie's simpler, more genuine sort of life, decides to pursue Mark.

[@PrayTellGaming]

i think the Helena theory going into the severed floor is done for. it's still kinda possible but I don't think Helena has that much control... shes likely extremely controlled by her father/Lumen, used as a sacrifice to save the company's image.

[@TheDazzler82]

@@PrayTellGamingit’s 1000% Helena not Helly on the severed floor, when the board said she has to go back as Helly R it just meant she had to pretend, there is no way they’d send the innie back in there unable to control what she would do.

[@cindytartt4048]

Too simple

[@GumbyTheGreen1]

​@@TheDazzler82 If it was Helena, wouldn't she have had time to come up with a *much* better story about what she was doing while the OTC was activated? You'd be hard pressed to think of a sillier, less believable story, and that only makes sense if she had no time to think about it.

[@TheDazzler82]

@@GumbyTheGreen1 take your point but quite frankly I don’t think she respects their intelligence enough to have bothered and it was literally only 48 hours that passed with her more focused on damage control, as well instead of asking why Helena wouldn’t make up a better story you should ask how Helly R on the spot would know anything about Television, Save the Gorilla T-shirts or night Gardeners with Police as a brother

[@beesleep23]

way way more explicitly '80s cars in the parking lot scene.

[@AresWasTaken]

The audio cues during the group descension scene is a pretty big tell imo. Everyone has a "beep" when they swipe their card, a "dong" when the elevator opens, and a high pitched "ding" when it descends. There is also that rapid beeping and whirring that we hear every time Mark descends, and is present during Mark's descent in this scene. You can hear faint beeping in both Dylan and Irv's descent. Helly/Helena's descent lacks the "ding" after the door closes and the only thing you hear is the mechanical noise of the elevator and no beeping. The score even quiets down so you can hear her descent better. In a show as meticulous as it is, there is no way the lack of these audio cues was not intentional.

[@lancetschirhart7676]

“Offer on the very large table..” good one, you got me there

[@osofine23]

@14:44 The blueprint for the “Outie Family Visitation Suite” is so crazy! I keep thinking that the 2 identical pieces of furniture in the big empty room look like beds, which makes me think of conjugal visits for the innies and their outie’s spouses or partners (although I can’t imagine Kier would approve of premarital sex). This time I looked at the chair and noticed that it’s facing the wall, which I suppose could be to admire the “Memory Wall” or to look away from the beds, or a form of punishment. Whatever is going on with that blueprint it is very strange and very funny! IDK Lol!!!

[@mikenelson507]

Another great one Pete. Innie Dylan would have nailed that job interview! Sound was excellent in this episode - especially Seth’s leather jacket.

[@DanFarrell98]

So the reason Outside Irv kept painting the dark hallway and elevator every night was in the hope that Inside Irv figures out how to do the overtime thing and then that’s the first thing he’ll see

[@RobinHerzig]

Also ‘My Innie got the message’ I interpreted as outtie Irving calling to tell outtie Burt, that Innie Irv got it that Burt had rejected Irving Hence Innie Irv’s depression

[@Alex-bw6yd]

(Helena is on the severed floor believer) So my idea about “we’ll give him Helly R” is that it doesn’t contribute to the “it’s Helly” argument at all, and that Drummond and Milchek don’t even know that it’s Helena. For one, it’s definitely Helena the second ding and crackling, which indicate shift from outie to innie wasn’t there in the elevator scene like everyone else. Second, as we saw, she was jealous and envious of Helly getting to truly live down there and do things she’s never had the chance to. So I think she had her chip deactivated temporarily and she actually is going down there as Helena secretly and just pretending to be Helly so she has a chance at “living”. Which I think will be one of the nails in the coffin for the company, particularly because she will over time come to sympathize with the Severed employees and not only that, get a taste of all the life she missed out on being raised as the CEO of a Corporate Cult’s daughter, further bringing out that underlying rebellious and inquisitive personality that she has had to suppress her whole life.

[@dkarras]

@@Alex-bw6yd Aligned w/ your notion of a possible future trajectory for Helena & most everything you’ve said. But Drummond & Milchick not knowing isn’t necessary for any of that. In fact it runs counter to their interests. Why would they knowingly put a rogue back down there that almost killed Helena & was part of an escape plot that severely jeopardized Lumon’s Severnace & test floor projects ? Helly R is a massive liability. I struggle to imagine her chip wasn’t immediately removed (or @ least deactivated) & thus Helly R permanently “retired”. Makes more sense that “we’ll give him Helly R” = we’ll give him [what he thinks] is Helly R & Helena is personally tasked w/ setting things right so that Mark S can “complete” the Gemma/Ms. Casey/Cold Harbour file. Cold Harbour being the true nature of Gemma’s accident per the inclusion of a car crashed into a frozen body of water in the new S2 title sequence. Helena’s arc may be one of a cold ruthless member of a business dynasty that finds humanity by PRETENDING to be a severed version of herself. And parallel tracks exploring what retirement of innies means for their outtie counterparts (if anything which is likely) & Mark (possibly others) pursuing reintegration such that their innie’s memories & experiences (rebellion) improve their outtie lives / make them whole again. Something along those lines.

[@francescaa8331]

I think Gemma was in a coma and Lumon took her, and they still have her. And they substituted a burnt body.

[@dkarras]

There’s a car in a frozen lake in the opening titles. I take this to be Gemma’s & goes against the story that outtie Mark has been sold about her body being burned. So yeah, just a cover so he couldn’t identify the body.

[@MrDeanWeen]

You are right about Helena. Its supposed to be obvious it is her. Im not sure why everyone thinks it's a mystery. Its great dramatic irony. Not everything is a mystery.

[@madeline569]

If that's true then the actor Brit Lower is doing a terrible job at acting those scenes in ep 1, ironically because Helena wouldn't be able to be as "in character" as Helly as she is in that first episode. If that is Helena, then she is giving an academy award performance, and that just doesn't make sense to me

[@julijaanderssonviolin]

Did you guys notice that Milchik’s bike’s plate has ‘Remedium hominibus’ written on it? Meaning "A remedy for people". I think this is a reference to the grand idea of Kier - help all his “children”, put severance chips in them.

[@scottgibson7976]

“Was a pineapple involved?” Perhaps a better title to this great episode.

[@guyjperson]

It's Helly. Man, they must have had a massive team to renovate and repaint two spaces without leaving a trace in two days. I had always assumed that they declared Gemma dead, then rushed her off to revive her while Mark grieved. Instead they showed Mark a burned corpse. Even more grim. I've always liked Devon. But she was super good in this ep. Unflappable.

[@dkarras]

A crashed car in a frozen lake in the S2 title sequence so… 👍

[@guyjperson]

@@dkarras A leap in logic there. There was also people turning into balloons. What are you suggesting?

[@dkarras]

@@guyjperson I take the car in the frozen lake to be Gemma’s actual “accident” from which she was retrieved & as you indicated Mark has been lied to about the circumstances of his wife’s “death” & being presented a burned body to “identify” (in so far as one can identify a burnt body).

[@guyjperson]

@ Ah. I see. I'm going to have to find that scene. I thought the car crash had something to do with a tree. But it can be two things. Good thought.

[@dkarras]

@@guyjperson Yeah, the story outtie Mark has been sold seems to be she crashed into a tree & burned. Being asked to identify a burned body adds trauma to the grief to further obfuscate the story & make Severance all the more appealing option (which we also see Milchick use as leverage to sway Mark from quitting this week). Gemma’s/Ms. Casey’s existence as a test floor subject file name Cold Harbour that Lumon needs Mark S. specifically to complete…

[@richboyprado]

Quite literally just ended episode 2! Right on time Pete

[@Gwynhwfer]

Burt has a tear in his eye when spying on Irv. Look closely.

[@Fred.pSonic]

To me it looked like anger like how dare you try to bust up my happy marriage. Irving could be an ex and a stalker who can't make a complete break.

[@Valeria_it]

You sound almost exactly the same as Eddy Burback! Had to double check the channel name😂 Very interesting analysis!

[@alexbayles9030]

Not sure if anybody noticed but "helly's" elevator ride down was the only one that didn't ding when the elevator closed.

[@iamtheiceman]

Oh we definitely noticed but it's funny how some people did not and they're still confused and think that it is actually Helly on the severed floor lol. She is most definitely Helena. The question is did she disable the switch herself and not tell anybody because she wanted to have a romantic relationship ?

[@gerardojg]

I love stories like "Severance" that examine the question " How much of Me is innate (soul) or Self (sum of one's experiences)?". Heleana and Helly are both hard chargers and relentless achieving their goals. This also includes a fierce loyalty. I believe it to be connected to the first trait. Heleana is cold and calculating like her father. Helly developed a warmth and eventually affection for her coworkers because Mark was supportive and caring. I agree. Heleana is jealous and possibly vindictive. I'm hopeful it's Helly on the severance floor. I'm still uncertain. The lie makes me suspicious but her support for Mark finding Ms. Casey. I believe I spied Helly in those eyes. I'm hooked.

[@ScottPrinster]

Remember that outie Burt made the congraulatory video for innie Burt's retirement. I don't think that his outie is angry that the innie has retired.

[@beesod6412]

Thanks for the breakdown, Maybe i'll buy you a drink at a bistro some time. 😉

[@GumbyTheGreen1]

If it was Helena pretending to be Helly, wouldn't she have come up with a much better story about what she was doing while the OTC was activated? Of all the people she could've visited or called to tell them what she knew, she talked to a random gardener (at night), and that was the best she could come up with? That only makes sense if she had no time to think about her story IMO.

[@aysh444]

She probably didn’t realise they’d ask about that because to her outie she won’t think about things that her innie would love to see so made it up on the spot but the use of the word ‘boring’ to describe her apartment just shows she didn’t plan it all. Anything to an innie would be interesting

[@starryeye6511]

I wonder if Dylan, Irv, and Petie all knew Gemma too? Do you think Lumon needed all of them to help provide their perspectives of her as they unconsciously rebuild her via numbers?

[@andrewholland21]

Probably not. They all got fired immediately and replaced with no bodies. You can see how Mr Drummond reacts when milkshake tells him who he got to work with mark. The only reason they brought everyone back was because they needed mark back.

[@starryeye6511]

@andrewholland21 yes, but they all got their updates done primarily, didn't they? It was Mark that needed to finish Cold Harbor at this point. If they were working on other ppl and not done with their work, wouldn't their presence also be imperative?

[@Bjørn-b8n]

I enjoyed this episode better than the first one. I didnt really like the first episode on first watch but it becomes better everytime i think about it

[@mickvd4]

IM SO HYPED THE SHOW IS BACK

[@SpeedbirdConcordeOne]

Are they ‘rebuilding’ Mark’s wife? Mark is using some Lumon proprietary technology to rebuild her as he perceives/experienced her during life. The odd feelings they get when they dump numbers into a silo are success. Cold Harbor is important because Mark S is so skilled at the job, perhaps owing to his deep love and connection with Gemma and Lumon recognised this early because of his freshman ‘fluke’? Not a fluke at all and rather a major endorsement of the technique for MDR.

[@mellowfellow4956]

Im convinced this is what they are doing. Trying to "rebuild" or "replicate" people and use that data to put into babies and basically give people immortality.

[@Zygotguy]

A little detail I haven’t seen anyone talking about is that you can clearly see Helena swapping one blue keycard for another that was sitting in her locker. This all but confirms that it’s Helena down there.

[@HouseCoatClub]

Was it just me or did it look like Burt was crying?

[@heartofdawn2341]

that was my thought too. Part of him still loves Irving

[@iamtheiceman]

No I did not think it looked like he was crying. It looked to me to be more like confused concern.

[@louisef.9693]

yes, my husband and I think he was crying. Was Burt reintegrated since leaving?

[@mctwist13]

Mark is definitely part of some sort of experiment having to do with his wife. I can't quite figure out what exactly they are doing but it has to do with the microdata refinement and having contact with his wife, or some version of her, while having no memories of each other. Miss Casey even says the day she spent in Mark's department was the best day of her short life. So its hard to narrow it down but I believe that the microdata refinement might just be outie memories, filing them for Lumon so they can collect personal data on how to control or alter peoples thoughts and memories. That's my take so far. We'll see were the season takes us though.

[@northrendicecrown631]

Helena had an emotional exp when watching her and mark ( maybe she doesn’t know love) or someone could just love her not being a Egan

[@nimrodk123]

Loved it as usual! Thanks for all the great content!

[@cybele_m]

It's interesting that we've seen nothing about Milcheck's backstory. Are we sure that Milcheck himself isn't severed, and like Ms. Casey, he's a permanent innie -- but unlike Ms. Casey, he's actually a full-time, 24/7 innie who, for whatever reason, never returns to his outtie version? We see him spend all his waking hours at Lumon, or out doing something on behalf of Lumon. Not once have we seen him do anything else. We've never seen him arrive at work, go home after work, eat, sleep, or even take a break. He hinted at how long he physically stays at Lumon in S1 when he mentioned to Hellena that he loves watching the morning sun shine on Keir's image in the lobby. Last season, during Burt's retirement party, innie Irve went off on Milcheck, calling him out for not understanding what it's like to be severed -- this seemed to trigger Milcheck more than usual and it's one of the few times we saw him lose his temper. Did Irve hit a nerve in Milcheck because he knows he's a permanently severed innie whose outtie version was completely erased, similar to Ms. Casey? This may have something to do with why the board needs Mark S. to complete this mysterious "Cold Harbor" project related to Ms. Casey -- they need some kind of data from Mark S. in order to increase Ms. Casey's part-time innie status to full-time innie status, so she then becomes like Milcheck -- unconditionally loyal and exists only to serve Lumon on a permanent, overtime basis. Perhaps, among other things, Lumon is seeking to build an army of permanent innie slaves like Milcheck, in which Lumon and Kier are all they'll ever know.

[@Ehgetouttahere]

When you were talking about Ms. Cobel/Selvig’s white’s Rabbit; Follow the White Rabbit. An Alice in Wonderland reference. What Rabbit hole will Cobel take them down? Even Cobel/Selvig…CS…Lewis?

[@TheGrumpyChairman]

What makes be doubt the "it's Helena" theory is that, as presented so far, it screams "Look over there! Look over there!"

[@JoeGamer81]

Did you notice that when Irv and mark hoth arrive to the severed floor, they are doing exactly what they were doing the moment the OTC ended? Irv is banging on the doors screaming for Burt, Mark is hyperventilating, and Helly is…running. Helly got tackled at the moment it ended. She wasn’t running. It’s not her.

[@geomiksch]

Did we know Milkshake's first name was Seth before this episode? I loved that you kept using that name.

[@katwashere194]

Yes we knew in season 1 he is Seth

[@andrewvirtue5048]

In the end Helly R will take full control; the surviving personality when they reintegrate, and become _the_ Helena.

[@RandomNPC001]

Pineapples are clones of the pineapples that came before (just like bananas). You grow pineapples from the crowns thus creating a clone of the original.

[@precocioussceptic4967]

I think there’s something very important about the fact that Harmony doesn’t want a promotion but wants to be on the severed floor. What ambitious person would not want a promotion? There’s something about the severed floor. I think Harmony is the one he called from the phone booth.

[@Louisestead3801]

One of the best shows I’ve ever watched

[@DaveTexas]

Interesting that you’re saying "fetid" (or "foetid") as in stinking, while a different KZbin breakdown video seems to thing it was "fêted" as in celebrated. I’m guessing you are correct - and that you watched the closed-captioning text - but I didn’t check the closed captioning for that as I assumed Jame was saying "fetid." It just made more sense. That’s why I was surprised when I saw the other breakdown’s assessment. I promise I’ll never cheat on you again, Pete! I’ve learned my lesson. You are the only Severance breakdown-er for me from now on.

[@neondemon5137]

It's 1000% fetid. Fêted isn't pronounced anything like fetid.

[@regularartist699]

hellys computer fileis named santa mira, same town from the town in invasion of the body snatchers

[@lindabell8377]

This could be very significant