Severance | Season 2x1 | "Hello Ms. Cobel" - Recap + Theories

[@Sdragnasty]

Random thought: what if Irving was the artist who painted some of the olde Lumon works, and was admiring his own artwork, from decades before?! 😮

[@nautilusfiles]

That is a wild twist, and I can't believe I haven't considered it!

[@GeahkBurchill]

Fantastic theory! I love it!

[@turingmachine7905]

Too good not to be true.

[@ChristopherHailey]

That is an interesting concept, I don't know where you could run with it, but we don't really know anything much about Irving and really nothing about Dylan.

[@sofian5378]

That’s a great idea!

[@Sachistar7591]

a diabolical throwaway that the building says to the innies is that "You probably don't recognize me..." Because they've NEVER been outside and will never go outside again.

[@RobinHerzig]

Nice catch 👏

[@G5rry]

I used Google Translate to read the Kanji printing on the contents of Milchick's office drawer. The printing says the tube is for healing the pruning cuts made to bonsai trees. So I think those items are for maintaining the bonsai tree that Milchick has in his office. Likely the bonsai tree is symbolic of what they are doing on the floor at Lumen (carefully molding them into the "shape" that they want).

[@rogerz6428]

Dario is definitely a lot older than he appears.. the reason his branch is lo tech is cause it’s probably 100 yrs old like him, that wooden carving is a big hint

[@amillar7]

Underrated! ❤️

[@gluttonousghost]

Did anyone notice that large packing crate in Milchick's office? It has bedding in it like it was used to ship a live animal... or perhaps a small child. Miss Haung?

[@stevenjlovelace]

In your newest patrons, you have two Marks. Would it be possible for one of them to change their name?🤣

[@jrbase5]

2 minutes ago is wild. Been anticipating your analysis like crazy 🔥

[@shigaire]

This is THE recap and theories video I’ve been waiting for as well!

[@RobinHerzig]

Same 👏

[@CSLintheCASINO]

4:36 I just noticed that Milchik is still unpacking his stuff. That’s strange if it has really been five months.

[@M4RI4TIGER]

Yes! Knowing how Milchik’s temperament… I doubt he would be ok with the computer screen saying “Hello Ms Cobel” for 5 months…

[@The_CGA]

Pretty easy for the sake of keeping up appearances for Mark. Also, take note of how frustrated he is about the screen saver-maybe because it *has* been 5 months

[@CSLintheCASINO]

@ good point

[@CSLintheCASINO]

@@M4RI4TIGER right!

[@HeatherHolt]

Such a great point!

[@tylerlonergan7027]

Couple of points: 1) doubtful that it’s been 5 months. New MDR crew is still very “new”- not sure where things are, still going through introductions. Milchik is only just moving into Cobel’s office with boxes and his computer still showing Cobel’s name. Also, Dylan complicates this 5 month timeline. See point #3 2) I was waiting for you to address the most concerning and divisive theory about Helena Eagan infiltrating the severed floor! That’s 100% her outie… hiding her outie identity, her subtle body language, and fumbling for the switch on her console all indicate that’s not Helly R. Makes perfect sense for Lumon to bypass her chip and allow Helena to do some damage control on the severed floor with the rest of the innies. 3- we never got the fallout from Dylan being tackled in the security room. His first appearance in this episode was after whatever happened in the security room. He must have done a normal ascent in the elevator, and had a normal , clueless evening as his outie, before returning to work the next morning. If it had been 5 months for everyone else, was he just going to work alone for 5 months? Nah- he would have mentioned that for sure.

[@LuigiHann]

I do wonder about the timeline. It is possible that the department or perhaps even the whole severed floor was shut down for some amount of time due to the scandal, so it could have been months before they brought in a new MDR team or formally promoted Milchik. But agreed that the stated timeline is suspect and the innies would have no way to know one way or another.

[@HeatherHolt]

#2 is an awesome theory! Didn’t even cross my mind!!

[@RobinHerzig]

a) that’s definitely Helena not Helly b) no way do I buy that it’s been 5 months! Milchick is not even close to being unpacked or using his computer

[@dougfranckwolf]

When Helena/Helly doesn't reveal who her outie is, there are two options. Either Helly was embarrassed to say who she really is, and made up her story with the mistake about the "night" gardener, or it was really Helena, who must now be unsevered, who might be so wealthy and isolated from normal life she wouldn't know that gardeners dont work at night either. However, what seems odd is that Irving as an innie would also have no idea either that gardeners don't work at night, but somehow he knew to question her.

[@centerloper]

My take on this inconsistency is that all Innies seem to have some sort of base knowledge about the outside world despite their whole lives inside Lumon. Remember the conversations they'd have on what they were like outside and naming jobs or hobbies they can't have known? This would lead more credence to Helly being Helena because Helena being wealthy would not know about gardeners working only in the day but Irving, with his regular built-in Innie knowledge, knows that is unusual.

[@cheyenne9081]

I don’t think Helena would necessarily need to be unsevered. If there’s a mechanism like the overtime contingency, it’s possible the reverse is also true, and that Lumon can “turn on” the outies while they’re on the severed floor. Especially for someone like Helena, who’s an Eagan

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

If it was Helena, she WOULD know that gardeners don't work at night because her wealthy family likely employs gardeners. I think she just didn't know that the team got switched at night time (because obviously as the outtie she wasn't there) & that's why she made the error

[@SabeFett]

If Helly is still severed then it could have been her trying to hide who her Outie is by thinking on the spot and coming up with a terrible story last minute. I definitely think severed Irving would know gardeners dont work at night. But I also love the idea that Helly is actually Helena in this season. It would make sense if the working conditions were better bc then Helena would not have to work in the previous conditions as an unsevered employee/spy. Either way, great first episode because it already has us all guessing!

[@stevenjlovelace]

With Irving, I feel like all of the painting and sleep deprivation are working to organically reintegrate him. There is a third option for Helly, and that's that there's another innie. Though my theory it that it's just Helena acting as Helly.

[@hannahbruce3297]

The biggest thing that stuck out to me in this episode was Milchik actively unpacking in his office due to his promotion while insisting 5 months had passed. Cobel was fired in the last episode, and MDR aren't the only severed department Cobel was overseeing- what are the odds Lumon would have left Cobel's position open for 5 months with all the other departments operating as usual??? Yet when Mark arrives, the promotion is clearly brand new because he's barely moved in-to me that was the most obvious giveaway that it absolutely hasn't been 5 months!

[@merp9211]

Why are their wrists tied together for ‘bobbing for pineapples?” I think it’s a cover story for restraint marks on wrists.

[@sarabrucker7847]

There’s a shot of Helly in the trailer from underwater looking up towards her face in the water

[@RobinHerzig]

Hmmm

[@evanward4303]

The lady from the Lexington Letter wrote about leaving work with wet hair and a note on her car about an "accident", like when Mark had the cut on his head in season 1

[@SeveredMouse]

It also reminds me of the handheld game Ms. Huang plays. When she gets a ring on the diver, it looks like wrists tied together

[@TheExpressionx]

Let’s gooooo, Severance is back baby!!! So hyped to tune in for every single video from now on! And to watch every solo video too lol.

[@JeremyIVfr]

Do you know that thing we used to do back in school when we got a bad report card? We'd tweak something on it, just a little forgery here and there, and then show it to our parents, all the while itching to snatch it back before they noticed anything suspicious and caught us red-handed. That’s exactly what I thought of when I saw Mr. Milkshake handing the newspaper to Mark. The moment Mark barely starts to read it, he grabs it back, like he’s afraid Mark will spot something incriminating.

[@halocat4077]

While I don't know that this is the only explanation, or even correct, my first thought with Ms. Huang was that psychologically, these people are way less likely to attack a child. They may even let her off the hook more than Milchick because of her age and the presumption that she's just an innocent puppet/victim. I mean... it'd just feel bad to mistreat a child, for these folks.

[@sarratrabelsi9038]

I am sure Helly is actually Helena because it does not make sense they would send Helly back in after what she did. Again the “Lumon js listening” quote applies because Helena is a spy and is listening to what they talk about. There’s so many signs. She doesn’t hug Mark back when she gets out of the elevator, she lies about her outie, she keeps emphasizing that the cameras are gone and that there is no microphones and in the end she is the only one who has trouble finding the “off” button on her computer.

[@jtestaccount2431]

ironically I was almost as excited for ur analysis as I was the show

[@Sdragnasty]

Amen!😅

[@chengreg8528]

Same bro

[@stevenjlovelace]

Totally, this and the Severed podcast with Allen S.

[@RobinHerzig]

Same Nautilus + Pete Peppers

[@AndyJP]

Helly is her outie posing as her innie 100%.

[@SeveredMouse]

Yes I think it’s obvious. And if it’s her innie, I would be seriously disappointed in the show. Everything from her mannerisms, reactions, tone, and body language point to Helena. And all of Lumon’s motives would point to Helena (spy in lieu of cameras. Plus Helly was just a PR stunt that no longer serves a purpose for Lumon, so it would seem).

[@milkybalance342]

I’m so happy for severance back but now I’m extra happy we got you covering severance again big time. I major always look forward to your sev stuff

[@catniphell]

05:18 the original photo it's from a parade of president Eisenhower in Brazil. He came to a presidential meeting and gave speeches about workers liberty!!!! I'm Brazilian and a Brazilian pop culture journalist did the research and showed the original picture of the event I mentioned. It it's such a cool detail! The original photo of the office members it's probably the photo Milchick took when Helly joined them in season one.

[@liamflatley2367]

Thank you! i knew i remembered this being a famous presidential photo i just couldn't remember exactly who, and yes its very clearly just the photo on their desks photoshopped in haha

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

I saw a side by side comparison of it with President Kennedy's motorcade...interesting

[@HeatherHolt]

@@JaneDoe-b5v this is what I thought of when I saw it. The ticker tape pic.

[@Getwright-]

I thought it was an old jfk photo.

[@RobinHerzig]

Seen this confirmed by other sources too 👏 plus the team posed in the car is obviously the same as their office photo

[@vforvladi]

Miss Huang may be the brainwashed daughter of Mark Scout and Gemma Scout (a.k.a. Miss Casey), which would explain why 1) Mark Scout mentioned in a season 1 episode that he and his wife were struggling to have children, and 2) Mark S had a flashback of Miss Casey when talking to Miss Huang during the MDR roundtable meeting with a red ball.

[@SeveredMouse]

Cool idea. I’m guessing the only way this works is if, while struggling to get pregnant, Mark and Gemma tried some sort of IVF procedure. Perhaps the medical facility assisting them was Lumon-owned, and then they kept (kidnapped) their offspring, while telling them the procedure failed. (This also implies someone else, likely severed and kidnapped themselves, is the surrogate and is forced to carry and deliver the baby.) But how old is Ms. Huang supposed to be? 10? Is that how long ago Gemma and Mark tried to conceive? Possibly. I have my skepticism, but it is a pretty cool theory.

[@aliciamcd1]

Episode one was a great start to the season! There were several things that caught my attention. When Mark gets off the elevator to discover the new painting, the space seems like a completely different space. Those posters in the new break room are crazy. The claymation video was kind of funny and very weird/unnerving. The addition of purple to the color scheme of the show is very interesting. Your Severance reviews are dope.

[@peggygoat]

WE'RE SO BACKKKK

[@discobassgroove]

Nice name and pic

[@LampDoesVideogame]

Aww yeah, been waitin' for this video. You should cover Evil, you'd probably love that one too.

[@chasethomas3670]

Miss Huang is a clone of Gemma. Mark has never seen a photo of her when she was young, maybe. I know this theory is out there, but it "just popped in there" when watching the new episode.

[@FontaineCards]

I think the time between mark s being “fired” by milchick and him and the gang coming out of the elevator is weeks or more for the outies. Excited to see their perspectives.

[@jasonshaw2065]

Keanu Reeves voice cameo has to be another matrix nod. Like the recurring red/blue color contrasts, etc.

[@amandakrause9394]

🤯🤯🤯

[@evanward4303]

It's Mr Milkshake from now on

[@ultraviolettas]

I’ve been waiting on this one 😏🙏🏻

[@denniskirschbaum9109]

Not the first to the party, but as usual, you are the best! Looking forward to taking this season 2 journey with Mr. Nautilus!

[@KristoSween]

I can see Helly deciding NOT to share what she saw so the rest of the crew would trust her. At first I thought she was her outie self (and she may very well be) but I'm hopeful she's just keeping the secret so she remains close with the rest of the MDR team. I can't figure out how Irv and Dillon's outies were convinced to come back. So glad the show is back!

[@IshibashiPandora]

I think Dario is straight up from the 1860's, maybe even worked with Kier Egan in the ether factories:P His recollections of brooms and ropes, his low employee number and new immigrant language skills, even the wood carved caricature, are relics of a bygone time. I'll bet he's been "revolved" into a new body the way we imagine the board has been:P

[@chlorinesoda]

Love this theory, I think he could be even older Given the name on his wooden face cube is Grimadli. They date all the way back to 1160. Plus they have a shipping company in Italy so maybe they work with lumon to ship their stuff all around the world, and their employees.

[@sarabrucker7847]

Good one!!

[@RobinHerzig]

@@chlorinesodawow

[@cordeliacullen2621]

I would push back on Mark coming back to work the next day after being caught trying to talk to the Board. We don't know how long it's been. Helly commented that weekends don't feel like anything to them in season 1.

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

Yeah, the timelines are not what they seem...

[@soniadorado5822]

Only channel i was waiting to see your review! You're the best 👌

[@mshonle]

“Off you go” - brutal!

[@armendnasufi3771]

My favourite channel last 2 weeks. Thanks!

[@stuson]

My favorite Severance channel, been waiting way too long for this 🙏🏼

[@orangeladybug]

dude i have been repeatedly checking for your video!!! youre awesome and i have watched a big part of your severance vids! its what kept me sane during the wait for season 2. cant wait for the next episode.

[@tk5800thesecond]

the amount of work Lumon is doing to keep Mark specifically means they need something from him. The fact that they replaced the other three means they didnt need something from them. Mark is the key to all this. if they can get him working it will be great. My theory: Lumon are using Mark as the stress test for severance. As they find "bugs" or moments where Mark developed too much connection to his outie they adjust the psychological gas lighting. Sometimes its recognition of his wife breaking through the severance, other times its an innate curiosity driving him to find out things outside of the basement. Either way makes Lumon adjust how they try to control Mark then apply that to other severed workers [the line about "209 countries" could just be a lie to the innies. remeber, we cant trust anything Lomon says to the innies]

[@GeahkBurchill]

😅one of the STRONGEST season openers of any 2nd season I’ve ever seen. Absolutely CRACKA-LACKING!

[@jtestaccount2431]

apparently the opening dolly shot took 5 months lmao

[@omriex7]

We’re so back! Gonna be fun watching this amazing weird show week to week. Even though little Ms. Huang will hunt my nightmares lol

[@alecbarton28]

Cobel was impulsive & a bully. Milcheck is cold, calculating & ruthless.

[@jkdbuck7670]

Milchek is scary. The gentleman who plays him was born for this role.

[@kristinesharp6286]

He is the party man. I just smile when he rolls in with a tray of food or music. He really is the best actor in this series. Fun or ferocious at the drop of a pin.

[@alecbarton28]

@@jkdbuck7670 Tramell Tillman has made himself the 2020s version of Giancarlo Esposito.

[@duko3000]

My. Oh My. This does put a smile on my face. Hello, friend.

[@samsaek666]

Bro they sent ms huang in a DAMN CRATE. Look at the dog-like crate thing that looks like he just opened in milkshakes office!!

[@pinfarmer]

There is no door in that office it would fit through... another false wall?

[@ElenaChristinne]

Just a thought... I feel the team is going to face a lot of trust issues IMO. Irv not saying he has a list of employees, Dylan with the secret and what if this Helly is not the innie but the outie.( is understandable she wouldn't say who she was, but still). Btw Milchick said "at face value" when Dylan asked if he'd see his family... so another lie.

[@ChristopherHailey]

They are trying to pit the employees against each other and try to give them the illusion of free will - you know, just like real life

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

A lot of lies to sort through! Its gonna be a wild ride

[@ChristopherHailey]

@@JaneDoe-b5v You better buckle up!

[@oglatnik]

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS VIDEO ALL DAY!!! I binged your Severance playlist this week preparing for second season to come out. I'm so excited!

[@halocat4077]

Also, I really love the strange humor that runs throughout the show. It doesn't just bring levity- it makes everything feel a bit detached and unreal, which makes sense. In a way it's almost darker and scarier that things are kind of funny and over-the-top... like maybe Lumon engineers that benign, wacky stuff on purpose, to hide how very dark and monstrous they can be. (And that I'm pretty sure they're messing with dead/comatose peoples' brains lol.)

[@littleluce]

The purple room isn’t a new department, it’s in ep 101 too

[@battery_wattage]

2:32 now that I think about it, if Grainer’s body still exists and Lumon has access to it, what’s stopping them from experimenting?

[@TheCluelessOne022]

You forgot to mention Helly lying about what she saw during the OTC. Fans are divided on whether she is actually Helena or Helly. Some think she lied because she is worried about how the others will react to her being an Eagan.

[@runningisfast]

Helly did mention the band on the t shirt in her story. Would Helly know band names? Was it one of the bands for the dance party? It’s probably Helena cause helly doesn’t know bands. Maybe

[@evanward4303]

​@@runningisfastI think it was Save The Gorillas. I took that as a conservationist slogan, not a band name

[@RobinHerzig]

It’s definitely Helena

[@haz4dc394]

The little girl is so funny I hope she’s there all season

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

Mark's daughter

[@chlorinesoda]

@@JohnSmith-bq6nfi think it could be a number of different answers. She could be a robot, a clone of Gemma but younger. She could be a mind of an adult severance chip placed in the brain of a child. Maybe even just a clone of some girl, who knows.

[@RobinHerzig]

@@chlorinesoda Ms Huang is a product of the Myrtle Eagan School for Girls 👧🏻 same as Harmony Cobel

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

@@chlorinesoda i know I’m joking because people spam it everywhere. I think she could just be like Gemma in a car wreck

[@wowsew]

Grainer could be back, being dead obviously doesnt matter for lumon

[@thisisjeannie4723]

yesssss now that the Nautilus Files is out WE ARE SO BACK

[@lordwaluigi8535]

Hey, did anyone else notice that while Mark was running at the beginning, the sound and camera zoom associated with switching from innie to outie happened quickly twice? As if Mark S. had been turned off and then back on in an instant, maybe because there's a special "outie" door he passed or because there's an undetected breach in the system

[@lordwaluigi8535]

Also love the vids, we're so back

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

First scene made me think he could have already been reintegrated hence the confusion about where things are located and the guy behind him could been a hallucination

[@Getwright-]

Why would we, the audience see a hallucination behind him that he doesn’t see or notice?

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

@@Getwright- He did sense something because he turned around. I agree it could just someone else like security guard or petey.

[@zdrawzit]

If Cobel was fired 5 months ago, wouldn't it make sense for them to change the welcome screen on Milchicks computer by then? I feel like this may be a hint that it was a much shorter timeline than 5 months since the overtime contingency. Just seems like an easy fix that likely would have taken a day at most to resolve.

[@SeveredMouse]

Totally. But there’s also a possibility Cobel’s firing was second guessed. The OTC technically happened on Milchik’s watch, and it would have gone on longer if not for Cobel. It’s possible she used this as an argument for keeping (or re-accepting) her position, and the board may have taken months to deliberate before choosing Milchik over her. Who knows. (Hopefully us next Friday!!)

[@thomascrownbuerger]

"Lumon is listening" Immediately reminded me of Succession. "ATN: We're listening." And also "We hear you." And finally "We hear for you."

[@SeveredMouse]

S1E9 Cobel told Helly that ‘she’d be long gone but her friends would suffer.’ She wasn’t lying.

[@stevielove4778]

It’s honestly bonkers that you keep saying Milchick “seems sincere” ( or ‘charming’, or ‘friendly…’); you’ve said this so many times and I couldn’t disagree more. Milkshake seems absolutely false, phony, deranged! If I met someone like this at a party (and I have), I would immediately red flag them (*PERSONALITY DISORDER!!)- and exit as soon as possible.

[@IsaVarg]

I've always thought how insanely good his actor is to make him have such a nice smile with such dead, evil eyes. All the little voice things he does to make himself sound like he's trying so hard not to strangle them all is impressive too. I agree he's charming in a scary way, but sincere? Genuine? Yeah no.

[@CoreyNSmith0]

This is the breakdown I have been waiting for

[@samsaek666]

Mr milkshake is shown a bunch of times right in front of his tiny painting/picture which is… the tip of an iceberg. He’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m writing this as I watch the video so you might mention this later in the video

[@ckjayzn]

It seems Helena was posing as the innie and doesn’t know anything about the office and all the conversations the innies have been having. She was there to observe the other innies and see if the propaganda was working to keep innies satisfied on the first day back. She’s also a bad liar.

[@scolveldynasty]

i wouldnt be surprised if something about the severing process makes you see the monitors differently, it may be why they use strange crts instead of led screens.

[@liamflatley2367]

8:28 anyone else notice that the jar with what we know to be coins for the vending machine is absolutely packed full of coins? whereas it used to only be a small jar with 4 coins. don't really know what it means but just seemed interesting

[@M4RI4TIGER]

@@liamflatley2367 lol I noticed that too

[@chlorinesoda]

I think it has to do with the new snacks and perks that was mentioned in the stop motion video they showed them. Like hey not only do we have new snacks but you can have as many as you want!!! Could go with the theory that lumons putting something in the water/products of control people or give them something, who knows

[@M4RI4TIGER]

@@chlorinesoda great input … I didn’t think about that I think you’re right their products would be tainted … kinda like our food products

[@liamflatley2367]

@chlorinesoda I hear you, but if they can have as many as they want, why bother even having the vending machine?

[@RobinHerzig]

More Lumon reform perks!

[@chrisf5828]

Re: 3. If Dylan left after the incident and did not come back until five months later he would experience no more passage of time than if he returned the next day.

[@IshibashiPandora]

Yours was the review I was most looking forward to watching:>

[@chlorinesoda]

I did some digging about the other name on Dario’s wooden head cube, Grimaldi. And found 3 different answers that all can lead to some wild theories of their own. 1. The House of Grimaldi was founded all the way back in 1160 in Genoa, when it’s founder Grimaldo Canella captured Monaco in 1297 and have been the reigning house of the Principality of Monaco ever since. 2. The Grimaldi Group is a private shipping company based in Naples, Italy. The company was founded in 1947 by the Grimaldi family. The company's subsidiaries include Finnlines and Atlantic Container Line. 3. Grimaldi's Pizzeria is a chain of restaurants that serves coal-fired, brick-oven pizza Do with that info what you will

[@etmccaus]

thanks, imma order a pizza

[@Sdragnasty]

Did they ship him over in the padded (?) crate in Milchick's office? 🤔

[@nancyjonesfrancis]

Great research! Grimaldi isn't Dario's last name. It's the name of the file Dario is working on. So we have some insight into that instead. Dario's last name starts with an "R."

[@chlorinesoda]

@@nancyjonesfrancislol I knew that, I forget to correct my sentence after I wrote. Thanks!

[@jkdbuck7670]

Been waiting for you!

[@mzmendy]

Oh🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉I've been waiting on your break down! Yay!

[@DRoHoFG]

1:00 congratulations to our two Marks

[@Coolusernamekitty]

Seeing the number of patrons steadily grow has been so cool to see!

[@k29king1]

Now that we got a season of the Innies getting outside, I want this season to be the Outies getting inside. But I already think that Helly ahem I mean Helena is already her outie in imposter innie form.

[@LuigiHann]

I take it that the stuff in Milchik's drawer is a bespoke mustache grooming kit? which is very funny

[@ShanberryShortcake]

I ran it through Google Translate and it seems to be a Japanese product for trees.

[@chlorinesoda]

It's actually a Bonsai tree kit

[@ShanberryShortcake]

@ Oh thanks! I’m curious how that will come into play. Like Ms. Casey’s tree in the Wellness area, or Mark sculpting a tree, Gemma supposedly dying by crashing into one. I’m interested on how that theme continues.

[@evanward4303]

​@@ShanberryShortcakethere's a Bonsai tree in Mr Milkshake's office. I'm not sure if was there when Cobel was manager or if he brought it with him

[@pinfarmer]

Perhaps Milkshakes Bonzai tree in his office corner is an allegory of what they do to the severed people.

[@jasperjasperjasperjasper]

Couple of my theories!! 1) I actaully DO think it’s Graner at the beginning of the episode. I think they’re in the business of brining back the dead through cloning. I think also the shock and awe of us, as the audience, and the OG MDR crew will be a huge WTF moment. 2) On the note of cloning. We randomly see that goat room in the first season, and from trailers we’re seeing it shows up again this season. Goats being very similar to sheep, and sheep being famous for actually having been cloned in real life. (Look up Dolly the sheep) 3) Again expanded on the cloning of the dead - I think what all these guys have in common, and we will learn more about as the season goes, but they have all lost a loved one. And a loved one is the key to make the cloning work. The numbers they’re sorting at work, are actually just organizing (subconsciously) emotions and feelings of the ones they lost. I don’t think Dylan’s wife is alive. I find it odd that he would be severed if he has a loving wife and kids at home. Mark we understand his decision cause he’s depressed and lost his wife so he said “f this. ill just get severed”. I think Irv is working on his father and Helly is working on her grandfather. 4) In terms of Irv, and the paintings. I have the odd feeling that he either saw his father go down the elevator to the “cloning” floor. but with his memory so scrambled he still doesn’t understand why it’s important to him, just knows that it is. if that makes sense 5) Lastly, i think cobell is playing a “judas” type role in the outie world. I think she pressures the MDR team to get answers and help destroy the company. but actually she just wants to look great in front of the board saying “look!! i got them all back!”. oh. and obviously, that Helena. not Helly. anyways - i had a lot of wine watching this episode so i could be full of it hahah

[@OJG.85]

In a recent video with all the cast debunking theories they all say that cloning is not even close to what is going on and that it would make it “ a boring show”

[@IshibashiPandora]

At the bottom of the screen with Miss Casey's metrics there's five refiners listed instead of just four... It seems we have a mystery refiner on the job:P

[@ActuallyAFungus]

One of the biggest tells that Helly is actually Helena (there aren't many) is her lack of a reaction after Mark tells them that he thinks Milchick tried to fire him. Zero reaction to finding out that your work boyfriend almost freaking *died* ?

[@ChristopherHailey]

She does look at Mark as though she's interested in him, so that's a thing too. I think if she's Helena is more easy to explain but if she's Helly that's more interesting. There are a lot of ways this could go, the writers have done a good job of going in a direction you didn't expect.

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

It could be a really confused and overwhelmed Helly that we are seeing in this episode and the disorientation from her experience at the Gala could explain some of her odd behavior. It is a huge deal that she finds out her outtie is an Eagan and trying to wrap her mind around what that means for her as an innie is probably terrifying. She for sure seems off kilter in this episode

[@RobinHerzig]

There are a bunch of tells but yes that’s one of em

[@G5rry]

She could be Helly... At this point Helly (Innie) just learned that Helena (Outie) is an Eagen and is likely still trying to process that, and she wouldn't want her friends to know her Outie will be running Lumen.

[@ActuallyAFungus]

@G5rry I dunno, I feel that with how rebellious Helly is, she wouldn't waste the opportunity to let the gang know she's an Eagan so they can use that knowledge as leverage.

[@ollie2111]

Yessss! We're so back! >:)

[@purpleomlet]

I haven't heard anyone point out the dylan themed "hang in there" poster in the break room. I loved seeing that and I'm interested to know if it will be an actual piece of merch.

[@travtotheworld]

The building is an interesting choice for a mascot. In the first season, the severance chip is the mascot in the orientation materials. It now appears to be the building. As you say, it's weird for a building to be a mascot. It goes from what's inside each severed employee, to what each severed employee is in. Also, the building is already anthropomorphized in season 1 when we see the giant Kier sculpture. Could be meaningful.

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

And the acronym of the building's name, (Lumon Administrative Building), is LAB. Seems intentional...

[@amandakrause9394]

@@JaneDoe-b5v🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@evanward4303]

Supposedly Keanu Reaves did the voice for the Lumon building

[@Sean-mr1oi]

So we never see cobel and helly interact until the very end of season one. Milchick voices concern that mark and ms casey shouldnt be interacting so much, to cobel. Ms Selvig is odd and knows alot about breast feeding. Here it is ya'll: cobel is helena Egan's wet nurse or nanny. She avoids her on the floor cause of the reintegration issues, so shes seeing what will happen to her and her old ward by making mark and casey interact. After bringing in smellwith the candle, the best memory trigger, and they srill don't connect, she knows that she can never interact with a girl she loved once. And angrily semds her BACK (also very important) to testing floor.

[@Sean-mr1oi]

Follow up: cobel is um, very buxom, and has pure silver hair. Isn't that what pure red heads turn into? So maybe not wet nurse but pre severance surrogate? And I owe her two names and personas as being a product of that woman's school and achieving a pseudo severed lifestyle.

[@zerofriends6]

im almost positive helly is deprogrammed and is working with lumon as a spy.

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

Aw, I hope not. I really like Helly. Her acts of rebellion were some of the best parts of season 1

[@serenas5411]

Been waiting for this yesss 🎉

[@Sdragnasty]

Keanu Reeves as BUILDING ! ! ! 😅

[@jackiesummer9126]

OH WE ARE SOO BACK

[@nikopolkarhangelsk]

I paused the newspaper page and read some of it. Interesting part is they mention Ricon and say he was doing like reading at their testimony or something and they mention he is the author of two books,one they all red and one about how he found Kier and accepted his teachings. There is one line about the board,one about some burgler and one about recycling. The whole page is fake. I think Helly is actually Hellena. When Mark is telling everyone about Gemma she did the most fake "I am shocked and appalled" face ever with blinking and wide mouth, she almost clutched her pearls. But the give away was when Mark said outies and innies are the same and she got mad and said they are not the same. That was Hellena for sure,remember how she said to Helly " I am a person and you are not"? This was her 100% she actually got insulted that someone dared to compare her and her innie.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Have you seen the new Star Wars show Skeleton Crew? The "Great Work" in that show reminded me of Severance!

[@slumberspeak]

So there are ppl who are born outside and severed. What if there are ppl who are born inside and severed... juuuuuuust sayyyyyin

[@eric3347]

Can we talk about how 206 is more countries than currently exist?

[@cheetah219]

I wonder if this is a universe where the confederates won the civil war instead of the union. That's why severance (work slavery) seems to be acceptable. Why they referenced the year 1871 Lumen started specficially...the year the civil rights act was passed.

[@cheetah219]

Sorry, how this related to 206...different world with more countries (I.e the state on irvs ID doesn't exist..the state they reference is "PE"). Also 206 is the number of officially recognized countries for the Olympics so maybe they just chose a safe number

[@keiththompson4721]

But remember how happy he was to see his dad and he was still awake late at night. They used the child to bribe Dylon’s outie

[@travtotheworld]

There are only 195 countries in the real world. While that number may be slightly higher or lower depending on which countries are recognized (Taiwan, Palestine, South Ossetia, etc...) we are a far cry from any company being able to say it operates in over 206 countries. Could be meaningful.

[@sarabrucker7847]

Credit to HaxDogma for pointing this out and speculating: could the civil war ended differently here? Kier is often portrayed in Union military style and the only states they discuss are non-Southern. Delaware, Montana, Minnesota, Wyoming

[@RobinHerzig]

Sports/Olympics recognize 206 countries

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

Remember what Ricken said: bullies are just bull and lies

[@travtotheworld]

@ The Olympics include non-countries like Guam and Hong Kong in among their delegations. They also have a specifically non-country based Refugee team. So, no they don't recognize 206 countries. They just allow that many committees to organize right now.

[@TheCompleteJeff]

Way too long a wait, but a great return no doubt!!!

[@whitleypedia]

couldn't wait to hear what you thought of the episode! :)

[@katiegrace9036]

i'm curious to know what everyone thinks about whether it's actually helly or helena who appears in this episode!

[@Sdragnasty]

Coin toss leans Helly?

[@evanward4303]

​@Sdragnasty I agree. while the ambiguity is intentional, I think the Helena theory is too obvious for this writing team

[@merp9211]

Why did Dylan tell Irving he encouraged his relationship with Burt? He absolutely didn’t. Any theories?

[@Sdragnasty]

No idea, but thought that, too!

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

Its a goofy lie that totally jives with Dylan's personality... maybe just to seem supportive of Irving in the moment?

[@Getwright-]

I think it was just Dydlan taking credit for or inserting himself into everything in that weirdly lovable egomaniac way that he has. If I.T. Had actually been evil i would have been i told you so, but since they werent it was all his idea

[@graceford686]

11:34 also worth noting that there are only 195 countries in the world

[@idgelee]

Keanu Reeves was the voice of the building ❤❤❤ and Helena is not Helly R imo. She was fumbling for that on switch and she is a spy!!!!

[@masterimbecile]

Regarding people’s idea that the Helly we see in S2E1 was really the outie, I did notice that her hug with Mark as she left the elevator seemed kinda stiff… maybe the outie didn't know/knew but still getting used to her innie’s feelings towards Mark S?

[@shumyatsky]

I think that I’m on the Helena train but her making up that night gardener lie seemingly on the spot irks me. Lumon supposedly had 5 months to come up with a more believable story … surely they would have anticipated their swapping overtime stories when back together. My other hunch is that season 2 is a flashback season revealing what happened in those “5 months”. Really enjoy your videos friend!

[@JaneDoe-b5v]

Good point! Helena for sure could have thought up a better story and we can assume she had the time to do it. I'm very excited to see the outtie version of the switch back!

[@RobinHerzig]

Definitely agree we’ll see a lot of what we’ve missed with the outies and the outside world of Keir PE

[@HeatherHolt]

Getting the Severance ZipRecruiter ad before this video was wild 😂

[@ChristopherHailey]

I think it's interesting that Helly lied about what happened to her on the outside. Was she lying because she is worried how they would see her if they knew her outie was Helena or maybe she's lying because she is her outie. (!?) Either way it makes for an interesting path, I think if she's Helly it's more interesting but if she's Helena that would be easier to explain. I think it's a key point here.