Severance: What's Going on with Ms. Casey? Gemma Theories Season 1

[@PetePeppers1]

One of the big questions I'm still pondering after season 1. What do you think is happening on the Testing Floor? What other mysteries are you thinking about for Season 2? Let me know what you think.

[@super1337bf3ordie]

testing happens on the testing floor

[@ugoeze7360]

The introduction of the other missing departments and will Selvig remain Mark’s neighbor now that his sister knows the truth. Most importantly, the goats.

[@jimlindsay9758]

Gemma's name is Ms. Casey? As in she resides in a case.

[@DennisMatheson]

I have a possible idea, but it relates to what I think Lumon is more up to. First the Testing Floor and Mark and Gemma. I think they are working on creating "artificial Innies;" personalities created from scratch. Gemma was a literature professor, not a counselor. How did she learn to become a counselor in less than100 hours? That skill must have been implanted somehow. Exposing her to Mark (after two years?) may have been to see if any of her old self was there. As for my bigger theory, we know that Gabriella created Gabby just to avoid having to remember childbirth. Helena kept Helly inside even knowing how Helly was suffering and even (presumably) knowing what Lumon is up to. Suppose Lumon is working on the ultimate soldier/spy/assassin. Yeah, I know, that's a typical SF cliche also, but hear me out. You don't want a soldier questioning what they are doing. You don't want them to suddenly develop a conscience. Suppose they propose severing troops before sending them into combat. They will do their job unquestioningly (just like we see everyone in MDR and O&D doing seemingly meaningless things for no reason other than trivial reward). They could then switch them back to their Outies after the mission was over without worrying about them telling what they did or suffering any kind of PTSD from it. Could be why the senator is so interested. And maybe the cards Dylan found are part of their training? Or, somehow kidnap someone and sever them without their knowledge. (Gemma is a test for that maybe?) Wait until they go someplace that they can access that others can't, activate their Innie, let them look at/steal whatever intel they can, or do something to someone they wouldn't normally have access to, then switch them back. The Outie would have lost time, but there may be a way to cover for that. That's what I would think they would be working toward with Severance technology.

[@dparks006]

Why would you put spoilers in the title?

[@silosara]

My heart just hurts for Ms. Casey. When she asks Milchick, “do you know if I’m happy up there,” and the elevator goes down. I felt extremely bad for her. Side note: the EP where she’s in MDR and she’s observing Helly and she constantly reminds Helly that she can request a hug. Ms. Casey/Gemma needed the hug more than Helly. How sad. I hope Ms. Casey gets saved. Mark c’mon. Get yo wifey. We are all rooting for you. 😭

[@omniplank]

The moment she said she was only 107 hours old, my feelings for her character did a full 180. Everything about her behavior made so much more sense and it really made me sad for her.

[@llednop]

Mark should get his sh*t together and get his wife and their lives back!!

[@llednop]

@@omniplank So innie Mark is 2 years old. 2 years vs. 107 hours. What happened to Gemma in all that time?

[@ZaveAres]

@@llednop They turn her on and off for the wellness sessions. Those sessions are probably only like 30 minutes and don't happen everyday.

[@markcollado1521]

I have a theory that she's acting, I'm not good at explaining in English, But i really think it was all an act,,

[@twang96]

Spoilers if you haven't watched the series or if my theory turns out to be right. Here's my unified theory on Ms. Casey and the show: It's all about reincarnation and eternal life. Lumon is trying to bring Kier back to life. ("The Revolving" sounds like it could be reincarnation.) Lumon as a medical company was able to get her body when she died. Much like the move, "Get Out" the severance procedure is a way to see if it's possible to have two minds to inhabit the same body. In the case of Ms. Casey, there is only one mind because Gemma was brain dead. That's why there is no Outtie version of her. She's a clean slate and can be used for testing on trying to create a consciousness from scratch. One of the issues when creating a consciousness from scratch is that it's devoid of emotion and so Ms. Casey isn't quite fully human. Why is this important and how does this relate to the macro-refiners? Kier's teachings are memorialized and his life is very well documented, so in a sense his life has been preserved in data. (Think Battlestar Galactica Capricorn if you ever watched that show.) Lumon has the data to recreate Kier, but he won't quite be fully human without the emotional intelligence. This brings us to what the macro-refiners are really doing at Lumon. If you are familiar with machine learning and artificial intelligence, you know that AI algorithms "learn" by processing "training data." The training data is free form and unstructured and needs to be annotated (i.e. tagged and categorized) before machines can learn from them. The macro-refiners are basically annotators, categorizing the training data to produce an emotional algorithm that will be used to help reincarnate Kier. This is why their screens are full of numbers (i.e. training data) and the refiners are told to categorize the numbers based on how the "feel" -- some are "scary" and some elicit other emotions. Finally, what is going on with Ms. Corbel? She is a believer in Kier and wants to bring her dead mother back to life. The reason why she is always testing whether Mark and Ms. Casey remember each other is because she has to be sure the severance process is truly infallible for the reincarnation to work. If severance doesn't work, then they can't put two consciousnesses into one body.

[@8698gil]

What body would she put her dead mother into?

[@phillyravensfan]

🐐

[@inisus]

amazingly coherent. Makes the most sense.

[@sabungay]

When has a super long comment not sucked on youtube? This time. Really well thought out and articulated theory

[@alimk91]

Wtf…. Give this man an award

[@skakirask]

It's worth noting that Miss Casey has a hint of independent thought and is not unwaveringly following the rules. When she was monitoring Helly, she tips Irving off to Burt hanging out in the conference room.

[@rosieposie4372]

That was very sweet of her to do too. Possibly indicating that her outtie personality is still there?

[@kobayashimaru8114]

I was wondering how she even knew to do that. Was Ms Casey aware of Irv and Burt's relationship? If so I missed it.

[@SimplyFairuce]

​@@kobayashimaru8114 I think she took note of it because she was there when milchik an cobel where saying to eachother that irving and burt shouldn't see eachother anymore. I truly think that her outtie is still in there. And she 100% has a crush on mark so love does transcends serverance

[@llednop]

Innie Mark's facial expression when he shouted SHE'S ALIVE! What a great performance by Adam Scott. We feel his huge surprise, bewilderment, so many things going on in his head at a crazy speed. Gemma's death was the very event that lead to the very existence of Innie Mark. Can you imagine that?

[@ymy_yang]

I always think of the innie as children in their mental state. So basically Mark and Gemma still made a baby, though at huge costs.

[@itsineffable]

re-watched the last minute more times than I can count - he's incredible.

[@itsineffable]

my brain just broke@@ymy_yang

[@RealEllenDeGeneres]

As soon as he saw the photo I was leaning in yelling for him to tell someone before he gets "shut off" lol

[@poogissploogis]

@@ymy_yang Whoaaaa that's a great way to put it!

[@alexandrasandu3947]

8:48 Mark said she was very pragmatic, and they were both academics. What if she donated her body to science in addition to a DNR if severely injured and/or coma. Obviously, Lumon are shady to put it mildly but on the surface they would at least have an excuse to take the body for ... science lol

[@smelliiee]

Great and plausible theory!

[@ollie2111]

Ahhhh, this makes sense. I didn't think the car crash was even real (I thought they "disappeared" her after she maybe saw something or learned something she wasn't supposed to and the car crash was just a cover up), but the more we hear about this theory, the more I think it is the one that fits the smoothest into the story.

[@n_v9386]

I love how you gave the spoiler alert after revealing that she is his wife lol

[@vkiperman]

I think Cobel paired up Casey and Mark, with the candle, to test the limits of the chip. Milchick even remarked about it. But, since Mark sculpted a tree, there is doubt whether the chip’s severance capability is 100% reliable

[@b.abouttowwn]

Right! On some level his subconscious is being activated.

[@lynnhettrick7588]

As well as Irving's Outie painting the hallway/elevator and his Innie seeing the black paint.

[@vkiperman]

@@lynnhettrick7588 totally. It seems that Irving’s painting is a key plot point used to setup season two. Considering his artistic inclinations, it’s not surprising he bonded so strongly with the head of the art department, who as we saw is also an art restorer. Incidentally, the dripping black goo of Irving’s dreams is also visible in the opening sequence. This has consistently made me think that it refers to something else, not just Irving’s paints.

[@8698gil]

Yes, Ms. cobel is trying to see if the innies can be stimulated to remember things. She asks Mark's sister, Devon, whether Mark ever says he "sees" his dead wife. Cobel probably has her own interests in that, something to do with that shrine in her bedroom and her mother.

[@BONNIESPLAYGROUND]

@@8698gil it definitely is setting up something with her mother and I secretly think Cobel wants to expose Lumon bc they probably did something to her mother. But she has to act like she praises Lumon with her entire being to seem like a good employee so she can get access to the ins and outs of Lumon. Like I was surprised when she was happy for Mark when he said he considered quitting and tried to save Helly from scrutiny when she was exposing the Innie life

[@patrickfalls6819]

I believe that immortality via consciousness transfer is one of Lumon's plans.

[@prez_chesspresso]

bingo

[@HeatherHolt]

Yep!

[@TymeTraveling777]

You gotta point here

[@silentsage2462]

Why do you think that?

[@patrickfalls6819]

@@silentsage2462 The tone in which her father mentioned "The Grandfather." In my opinion, James seems like he is using his daughter in a way that she may be unaware of. The show seems to have done a little extra to make James appear old. Also, The Museum of lifelike figures gives me a sense that at least one or two people will have an essential upcoming role. My guess is that it will be Kier. What is the most likely thing that old, powerful, wealthy, and overly ambitious people most desire? Immortality.

[@user-ne4fp2ts3n]

The reason I don’t think Ms. Casey is a robot is because she seems to show emotions. And maybe I’m reading too much into it but she’s always in long sleeves every part covered. Could be hiding injuries she sustained from the accident.

[@theikimento]

I have a theory that the microdata department are the one configuring the emotions of the deads. There is this episode that when Mark teaches Helly on their work with number, there is no specific instructions but feelings. They just feel the number if it feels scary or something then they click it. Now remember on the last episode when the security says that Dylan is has 2 son? But in real word he only see one? Because it is in the Ground floor of Lumin. Mark to Casey, Helley to his mother, Dylan to his Son, Bert to his father, Cobel to her mother. They are on that specific department because they are related to the deads. This is the reasons why Dylan is always meeting the quota because it is his sons emotion. Bruh!!!!!!

[@8698gil]

@@theikimento Dylan has 3 kids, not two. And we only know that one of them is a boy.

[@mrpicky1868]

robot idea is way farfetched. they are kind of in a modern time driving old cars. i think some just projecting things after watching Westworld too much)))

[@randomchance7796]

Lumen is heavily invested in medical research. People like car crash victims who become close to death can - with a bit of string pulling - be declared dead. They can then be transferred to Lumen's compound and healed as best as possible. It's specifically stated that she's chipped. No robot and no clone. Enough people have discussed clones having to be grown from babyhood that a two-year-old adult would not be believed.

[@mrpicky1868]

@@randomchance7796 you are making like very far fetched assumptions)))

[@mfmlmme4283]

The theory I'm going for atm is 1)the accident was real and Gemma did go into a coma. 2) She had a wish that her body was given to science/organ donation. 3) So when it *seemed* that she would not wake up, Mark decided to respect her wishes. Lumon acquired the body and she somehow ended up Severed. It would explain why a missing body wouldn't raise any questions. I have another theory that centers their inability to have children but it just doesn't work really atm.

[@RobinHerzig]

Wow Maybe she already WAS an organ donor!! Could've been on her driver's license or something. Mark wouldn't knowingly give consent + not remember that as an outie - Unless he did but that's something we just haven't heard about yet but will be revealed in season 2!? Would explain why there's never been any mention of a funeral, visit to her grave, or investigation into the accident… a subject that always irks me🪦

[@_-luke-_]

@Elle Durden I'm a month late but I think the body donation theory is the most plausible bc it would totally make sense for her personality-wise as an academic. If she did have any injuries from the accident that would also explain why she's always wearing modest clothing in comparison to Helly who wears short sleeves, for example. Sounds pretty solid to me!

[@orbis17]

One thing against the Gemma brain death theory, is the interaction between cobel and milchick, where milchick states "You know its good they dont remember each other, it means the chips work" I don't see why they would have this line, if Gemma was totally brain-dead when they "obtained" her.

[@TheThreebucks]

Good call!

[@MuantanamoMobile]

Also brain death kills the entire brain. Brain death is used as an indicator of legal death.

[@paigerenee4173]

very good point, i havent thought about that

[@ninisky2706]

@@zentibel the issue with brain death theory is that if one of them has it so does the other. It’s not like they “transfer” consciousness or own two bodies, it is the exact same body simply with different memories. In a Q&A one of the show creators said that everything in Lumon existed, nothing is a “it was all a dream” thing - so Gemma WAS physically present at Lumon, she had a chip implanted. I doubt this is about immortality

[@galgrunfeld9954]

She talks of herself as being "awake" - as opposed to being asleep. Being asleep is a temporary state - death isn't. So I think she's help in a coma. In the security monitoring room there's a function IIRC that's associated with a blank slate (I don't remember what it's called), and we know Gemma is sent there, so I think she never died - maybe her body died or was severly injured, or her brain was injured, but her brain retained at least some of its memories post-accident.

[@kanton4108]

I think, like Irving, Ms. Casey's been reset countless times. The long hallway would lead to the reset chamber; this could explain why Irving's outie keeps painting the same dark area. It could also explain why he had so much information about Lumon in the outside world: He was onto something. That's where they reset their innie's memories, wiping out their previous. Ms. Casey mentioned she'd only been "alive" for 107 hours (I might have gotten the number wrong). This could definitely mean that she's been reset multiple times. On first watch, I thought her 107 hours in 30 minute increments was because she's new, but what if she's not new, just simply reset?

[@ollie2111]

Wait wait, where did you get the bit about Irving being reset multiple times? I think thats a really interesting theory.

[@kanton4108]

@@ollie2111 From seeing all of the stuff in his apartment and his dreams of the hallway which suggests he's been down that hallway countless times without remembering.

[@ollie2111]

@@kanton4108 huh I guess thats a good point. Also one video mentions that there is a "clean slate" protocol so that definitely adds to this. Plus it does make sense specially if Irving has been working here for many years, like how Burt was said to be working as a severed employee for 7 years.

[@carlospineda421]

Also they would never let the innies back at work now that they pulled their escape plan. So all four will likely be reset next season.

[@Mostlybaddriving]

I desperately want a Wellness Session ❤ Her voice ahhhhhhh man is 100% bliss 😊

[@omniplank]

I really hope we get more answers in season 2 about Miss Casey/Gemma. Every theory I've heard has too many holes in it since we just don't have enough information to go on. Whatever it is, they have me 100% on board with this show. Thanks for doing all the recaps, I don't think I would have watched the show without already being a fan of your channel and learning about it through there.

[@PetePeppers1]

I was hooked after the first two episodes

[@NoraGermain]

love that for the mdr team, the show explains how severance can mess with your life in four deep and disturbing but totally unique ways. they each have a different but relatable axe to grind. so good.

[@jimrodney4797]

An idea that just popped into my head, after seeing this video, and your including of the shot of the previous Eagans in the Perpetuity Wing, as well as your comment in your episode 9 recap, about Jame Eagan looking exactly like his wax figure there, is what if those AREN’T wax figures of the Eagans in the Perpetuity Wing, but the actual bodies of the Eagans themselves? What if they’re like Ms. Casey in that they’re turned ‘off’ when not ‘in use’, and kept on display in the Perpetuity Wing when not turned ‘on’? What if the Perpetuity Wong is a literal name, where the Eagans are all alive in a sense, and kept alive in perpetuity? They’re only ‘turned on when there’s board member issues to deal with, since this collection of the Eagans ARE the board. Maybe they’re keeping them like this, as they continue to do research, testing, on how to bring them more fully back to life? I’m not saying I have any good reason to think this, other than Lumon is already so creepy, but it got me thinking. Jame Eagan does speak in a rather stilted way when he’s talking to Helly, kind of like Ms. Casey does. Maybe Jame Eagan ‘died’ at some point, but they were able to keep him alive in this limited fashion? Or he’s fine, and his figure in the Perpetuity Wing is the only one that’s a wax figure and the other Eagans are the actual bodies? What if that’s what ‘Freeze Frame’ does in the list of the chip’s options? They’re frozen in place on their pedestals when not needed for business? And maybe the Revolving that Jame mentions is when he turns the CEO job over to Helena and he revolves onto one of the other pedestals, but as his actual body, and not as a wax figure? I don’t know, some of the juxtapositions you create in your recaps give me some wild ideas…

[@-1hpent778]

Exactly they want two people that loved each other to recognize each other with no recollection. Activate both side of the brain they wanna make it so Innies can be Outties as dumb as that sounds.. it’s like the chip allows a sort of auto pilot when in range of the building

[@heleneverdier232]

That makes sense...

[@b.abouttowwn]

This is a solid theory, brother!

[@TommyLellan]

Ha! Every time I’ve seen those wax figures I keep imagining them coming to life. That’s interesting.

[@8698gil]

I think that is only Ms. Cobel's thing. She wants to do that for personal reasons, probably something to do with her dead mother. She got fired, remember, for messing around with Mark's family. The Eagans themselves just want to create slaves for industry. They don't want their innies recognizing each other, that would be counterproductive.

[@ozrodmd]

I feel strongly that Lumon must have helped stage this accident. The value of this couple is that they would be the ultimate test of the chips. Love is one of the strongest of human memory. If the chip could prevent a couple from remembering each other they would have proof of how effective their technology is. Since they had no children, it made this couple an easier target . I wouldn’t be surprised if they were making her infertile as well prior to the accident. Her brain had to be kept undamaged as it would ruin their experiment. Those that raise the possibility of clones or artificial entity are missing the point. She had to be intact or any data gained from her would have been affected by the variables of cloning or synthetic human. By the way you can’t clone someone at the same age of the donor DNA. The DNA would produce a baby.

[@InformantNet]

When Mark sculpted the tree, all I could think about is, THERE WASN'T ENOUGH CLAY IN THAT BALL TO SCULPT THAT TREE! That took me out of the moment. Seriously, he needed about 4 times as much clay.

[@ollie2111]

Hahahahahaha, good point! 😄

[@TheJRSvideos]

I think the macro-refiners are the ones actually performing the “severing.” People’s minds probably need to be actively “severed” or organized into two different sides since we’re constantly creating new memories. The idea being that our brains aren’t just like a computer hard drive that can be partitioned, but a fluid collection of thoughts and memories. The macro-refiners could be subconsciously identifying the memories and emotions that need to be separated from the rest.

[@ardensawyer9408]

oh shit this would actually explain why even inside lumen they don't get to know what they are doing. but then what does it mean when an unfinished file expires?

[@moonlitgemsco3733]

THIS makes so much sense. And that’s how/why the numbers are scary in certain formations.

[@heleneverdier232]

When Mark finds Reghabi at his old high-school, he says :"I used to work here" and she responds "I know." Knowing that Gemma worked there too could be a clue on how or why Lumon targeted them. Also, I keep thinking about the lack of knowledge they all seems to have (I'm not talking about the innies) : Ricken's friends seemed legitimately mindblown when Mark explained the Great War /World War I ; thestupid etymology of "camaraderie" deriving from "camera" in the book are, in my opinion more than just comic relief. Mark himself mixed up Montana and Minnesota. Maybe because he didn't really listened to Alexa but I think there's more to it...

[@8698gil]

I don't think Lumon specifically targeted Gemma or Mark. I think its more likely that Lumon has an arrangement with the hospital regarding comatose and near death patients. They could have lied to Mark, telling him that his wife was too badly burned or disfigured in the accident to be viewed, and so had to have a closed casket funeral. That would explain why Mark believes she is dead when she is in fact alive at Lumon.

[@ambarrios5575]

If Charlotte is Harmony’s mom, that means Cobels mother was born in 2044 from the dates of the hospital bands. So by rough estimates maybe Cobel was born in 2060’s something and that the whole show is happening in a 2118 or something. And it’s not far fetched that at that time in the future nothing has changed much. And All the Kiers seemed to live long lives and there are a bunch of them

[@TheJRSvideos]

Yeah, all of Ricken’s friends don’t just seem stupid, they’re immature…or child-like. I thought it was just for comedic purposes at first, but it seems more intentional than that. I think there has to be something there.

[@8698gil]

@@TheJRSvideos I don't agree. They are exactly the kind of friends someone like Rickon would have. They are groupies, not too bright but they think they are. What are the odds that ALL of his friends would be severed? And if they were, how would they even know their own names? Do you really think they are just pretending to be stupid? That doesn't make sense at all. Besides, they have also SAID they are against severance in principle. Somehow I don't these those people as having the intelligence to pull off a scam like that.

[@heleneverdier232]

@@8698gil I didn't say they were severed, and I don't think they are. My theory is that the Eagan dynasty have been controlling many aspects of their lives since generations. They seem to have Eagan funded hospitals and schools, so the curriculum is probably lacking some basic knowledge (like in schools controlled by religious fundamentalists). I'm not saying that as a big plot reveal but more as a detail of how these characters are written : even if they don't work for Lumon, a whole lot of their experiences are shaped by Eagan's philosophy and worldview.

[@cmv10]

My questions are why would Harmony withhold that information about Helly's suicide attempt knowing outie Helly is the CEO's daughter? She had to know that information would get out regardless? Also, why wouldn't the board mind Harmony living next door to Mark but mind Harmony spending time at Devon's house?

[@jwace]

My guess would be she is getting too involved and something we don't know about yet triggered them to use that against her.

[@moneybuyer16]

I think she was captured alive in the car crash and brought to Lumon to be a test subject, her outtie is being held hostage in the level below the severed floor and when its time for work she's taken up the elevator and that switches her to an innie, thus explaining why she can't remember Mark.

[@EchiBawn]

One idea that I'm still thinking through is that Gemma is braindead. Lumon is experimenting by chipping her for unknown reasons. Cobel is invested in Mark and Gemma's interaction in the wellness session and hopes they will somehow recognize each other. Her motives are different than Lumon's as Cobel's mother is in a coma (as hinted by the Lumon breathing tube found at her shrine) and is hoping that the Severance chip will allow her to regain consciousness. She plants the candle in hopes of sparking a connection between the two.

[@Fred.pSonic]

That's well thought out. Maybe Harmony is using Mark as her own experiment outside of work (yet disguising it as useful to The Board) to see if emotional responses are the key to reanimating (or 'the revolving') of the brain dead. Both Gemma and Harmony's mom are currently comatose--and may be living in wherever that dark elevator goes ('People may live here' on the map). Mark's candle and her mom's breathing tube are strong emotional triggers between the two worlds. The data miners sole purpose is to extract emotional responses from random numbers. Perhaps this data is used to build emotions for Lumon's robot workforce derived from chipped coma patients? And then...I give up, there's too much, this show is too heady!

[@TESARAC2X]

I'm just going to throw this out there everyone. I suspect that Miss Casey can't leave the severed floor other than to go to the basement because if she does her chip will shut off and basically she becomes brain-dead her chip is basically where her personality is coming from. Ultimately though something to keep in mind is that this will play out later when Marc attempts to try to help his group and they use that against her to say hey will shut her off and take her chip because it's Lumen property. And if you don't help us or give us what we want you won't see Miss Casey again and she'll go back to being a brain-dead vegetable without our chip. Therefore now Mark has a reason to betray his friends at work the other enemies. But the crazy part is that the Audi Mark once it too.

[@ITS_ALL_LlES]

Exactly what I think, but unfortunately, I think it’s rather rudimentary. I hope it’s a better story we can’t predict. But yeah, I think you’re right.

[@ZaveAres]

Marc Mark

[@Stress-Free-K]

Some Severed Thoughts about Love and Ms. Casey ... 1) Their love does transcend Severance and comas 2) Mark prolly didn't need the candle from home to mold the tree .. Like Irv, strong emotions from the outer world seep in. 3) Helly asked that question rhetorically of Dylan cuz Helena doesn't seem to care how tormented Helly feels. 4) Innie Dylan's love for his child(ren) is first evidenced when he says he hears a child's voice during his break room sesh. 5) Seems like "revolving" is something that's done on "testing floor". Perhaps coma initiates are studied as candidates. 6) The mysterious car crashes offer a steady supply since the cars are built before the seat-belt and air bag requirements.

[@keta5914]

Oooh! The seatbelt thing!!!

[@_-luke-_]

Yeah! Plus it's a very well-known way to stage an accidental death (Princess Diana's suspicions car accident being the first that comes to mind). Also seeing the road and tree she crashed into it's quite difficult to believe there was no foul play involved.

[@Stress-Free-K]

@@_-luke-_ Indeed. But do you think innie Mark had enough time to convince his sister to help investigate Gemma's increasingly mysterious "death"?

[@MallRatsXoXo]

"Maybe keep your eyes on the icey road"... Outie hellys response to outie mark in the parking lot in episode 1. Mark was driving the car when his wife died. Outie Helly would know all about the people she would be working with before she decided to get severed and work down there

[@ronvico1282]

I imagine the testing floor is similar to the one in West World, where the innies are in some kind of "developer mode", that is triggered by the elevator. No reason there can't be a further severed personality activated when using the testing floor elevator.

[@rixx46]

I hope there are no comparisons to be found between this and WASTE WORLD -- what a trainwreck of a show! So much promise, money time and talent devoted to an utter disaster.

[@realadex9655]

@@rixx46 Very correct, with so much potential in the first season, HBO as usual manage to wreck the show

[@ptonpc]

@@rixx46 Let's hope it doesn't venture into that territory.

[@kblixt]

I love all 3 seasons of Westworld

[@wawawuu1514]

There is a reason though. The creator has stated that, I quote, at least so far, there hasn't been more than one Severance in one person.

[@tanzoniaflakes5068]

I always wondered 🤔, why did Ms. Casey tell them Bert was in that conference room?

[@rootypoots]

My theory is that she noticed Irving had a thing for Burt and, like us, she stans

[@charlieni645]

She's the ship captain.

[@anaccount4354]

One thing I find sad is that even disconnecting her from being Mark's wife, even if she wasn't, I feel awful for her. Ms. Casey by herself is so sympathetic and such an interesting character. Definitely one of my favorites and one I'm really hoping to see get more screen time.

[@abhinayrk985]

I think the testing floor is where innies are locked forever, because Lumon actually needs people to work full-time and that must also be the place where petey's map says " some people live here"

[@starsandmoonsabove]

I don't think she is currently in a coma or brain dead. It doesn't make sense to me (she can walk and talk fine). Maybe she was initially and they had to switch off life support, so Mark is sure she's dead. but Lumon secretly revived her as an experiment, maybe she is constantly severed but they switch her modes multiple times a day to work different short jobs. Maybe she has amnesia. So she is alive and kept inside Lumon like on Petey's map. Lumon pretends like she's not Gemma after her revival, but a new person that belongs to them. They tricked her to sign papers to get severed permanently using her amnesia, or she's like under the patronage or conservatorship of lumon, so they just sign the papers themselves. So it's legal on paper.

[@taylorkennington7375]

I'm jiving with a lot of the fan theories that are floating around right now, to a point. I think (and kind of hope) that Gemma is alive indeed, and that the crash was real - whether it was caused by Lumon or not. I think that Gemma was mortally wounded in the crash, and at some point before her death Lumon stole her, and was able to save her from dying. I'm not sure whether they are keeping her in a catatonic state, or just putting her to sleep when she is "offline", but I believe that she is alive - not a clone, robot, or reanimated corpse. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but I truly hope that Gemma and Mark are able to reconnect and be together again someday, so -until the show proves otherwise- I am choosing to believe that she is alive, awaiting to be rescued.

[@rapmusicplugpod]

I'm with you 100%. I have a feeling Mark will be able to reconnect with Gemma, and there will be an odd love triangle of sorts because innie Mark has fallen for Helly R. But just as Helly says in the finale, her and only her needs to pay for her sins, and so I feel Helly will sacrifice herself for the greater good.

[@marytermini1381]

Thx for the recap! There are a lot of details that I missed, even though I've watched all 9 episodes. Ms. Casey / Gemma does exhibit a lot of robotic behaviors. I'm wondering if she was horribly brain damaged during the accident, and Lumos was somehow able to give her a new computerized brain. I know that she can still feel emotions. When Helly goes missing, you can tell Ms. Casey is genuinely concerned. And she is very touched by Mark's kindness.

[@slidewineder3953]

thanks for putting out all these rad severance videos

[@PetePeppers1]

No problem

[@susansoprano]

At one point Ms. Selvig asks Devon if Mark ever thinks he sees Gemma. That would seem to indicate that 1) Ms. Selvig knows that Gemma is alive on the outside world, or 2) Ms. Selvig is trying to determine if any of Innie Mark's memories are seeping through to Outie Mark. My guess is that Gemma may be in a coma or actually died and was somehow reanimated, so option 2) is more likely. Also, Ms. Selvig seems to hope that severance isn't total or permanent; she may have a personal interest in that.

[@Emilysiegel533]

That woman that killed Doug worked at lumon - who now shows up at Marc’s old job at the school. I think that Marc and Gemma were targeted through that woman. And Gemma was in a coma hence the Glasgow name when Dylan went on to turn on the overtime emergency contingency. Glasgow is a reference to the Glasgow coma scale.

[@kalebbruwer]

It occurred to me that the innies simply have to trust Lumon on having lives outside of the office. For all they know the elevator could lead straight into a Gulag. It doesn't, because the outies are in broad daylight and Lumon could never imprison them without it being noticed. But that's not the case if everyone thinks you're dead. It could be that Ms Casey is alive and spends most of her time in a dark cell, only to be cleaned up and sent up the elevator every time she's needed. That would make her the exception where her outie is even worse-off than her innie

[@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2]

Thank you for making the wait of season 2 less painful by making videos. ♥

[@Alliebei]

Lol

[@ThereIsAlwaysaWay2]

@@Alliebei They're really really really taking their sweet sweet time. 2 years between seasons is waaaaayyyy to long.

[@Alliebei]

@Flitalidapouet Seriously! I am highly upset and inconsolable at this point lol 🥹

[@csullivan626]

I was thinking about Miss Casey’s perspective - to her, personalities of other are people have got to be very foreign and likely terrifying. She only ever spends time with people in one-on-one sessions and doesn’t interact with them much with them not responding to what she reads them. That’s her work day. When she works. Otherwise she’s asleep / off (?). So seeing MDR all at once and watching them talk to each other and interact - had to be like ..not AT the zoo but IN the zoo.

[@lynnhettrick7588]

I watched a panel with Ben Stiller, the writer Dan, and several of the actors. The writer said that he and Ben had sort of roughed things out for 3-4 seasons, but he had enough ideas for more seasons. But it didn't sound like anything had been written in script form yet. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire season finale. I can't wait for S2!

[@8698gil]

The only reason I can think of that Harmony would want to bring her mother back is that she seems so childlike when she is at home. Her bedroom looks like a schoolgirls dorm room, (she has a Myrtle Eagan School for Girls poster on her wall), her bed is a small single with an iron frame, and she is wearing pigtails. I'm sure she went to that school, and has been indoctrinated in the Eagan philosophy since early childhood. Perhaps she was orphaned and the school was a boarding school.

[@MChantal76]

Yes, that's what those scenes were implying.

[@lolam4209]

All these actors are phenomenal

[@Sebster85]

I enjoy my TV shows with a dash of romance. So I'm happy that Severance isn't neglecting this aspect of the characters' relationships. I thought the slow burn romance between iMark and iHelly, which culminated into iHelly first or last kiss to iMark, was really well done. But now that iMark knows that oMark's wife is alive (assuming that’s really her), a piece of info that I'm sure Devon (oMark's sister) will communicate to oMark, I wonder how that revelation will affect iMark and iHelly's blossoming relationship moving forward. While Mrs Casey is Mark's wife, her emotional connection resides with oMark, not iMark. And while iMark was shocked to learned that his outie's wife was still alive, iMark's emotional development with iHelly won't magically disappeared, unless Lumon can erase their time together completely.

[@gmannskooly2635]

Very well said

[@realadex9655]

On point! Really accurate to use iMark for inny Mark and oMark for outy Mark

[@Sebster85]

@@realadex9655 Thanks I can't wait to see how they handle iMark and iHelly's relationship next season. iHelly's kiss suggest that they might or might not meet again.

[@Sebster85]

@Elle Durden iIrv and iBurt is such a heart breaking story! I too wonder if they'll ever truly reunite. Didn't iHelly wonder if love could transcend severance? I think the couples will find their ways back to each other one way or another.

[@8698gil]

@Elle Durden Helly was supposed to have finished working on the severed floor. Her purpose for being there was for PR for the company, to tell the world how great and "fun" severance was. I can't see any reason for innie Helly to be going back unless outtie Helly wants to punish her for that speech she made at the party.

[@zeecalsdecals7482]

This is why they neeeeeeeded Pete’s chip- since he could be “awoken” if the chip was activated.

[@jimlindsay9758]

She's brain dead from the car accident and Lumen was able to acquire her and they're doing research on her. It's why she's part-time, very robotic, and resides at Lumen full-time in a CASE... which is why they named her Ms. Casey.

[@mattstone9364]

That’s what I think as well,but how does she walk around when she’s brain dead

[@user-nk6ih8rp5e]

She still connects with Mark on a level as such they have met before,, would that still be the case if she was brain dead?

[@ramanmono]

@@user-nk6ih8rp5e Part of the research in the testing floor might be to "reconstruct" and copy the memories to the severed part, Lumon is a medical company after all. This might be why they want connection between Mark and ms/ Casey. Is that what macro data refinement is? I really don't think it has anything to do with terrorist attacks and bombs, though the first thing I thought when I saw the nummers is that it looked liked some kind of old school minesweeper game.

[@kevinf8439]

Oh no, it's Hodor all over again!

[@dw9219]

Macrodata refinement is memory reconstruction that’s why it’s all feels.

[@joevc737]

The time period is puzzling. The cars are old, late 80s vintage. The computers look old. The graphic representation of Kier also looks very dated. Yet people have flip phones and at one point Ripken makes reference to an app on what looks like a smart phone. Very strange. Great show!

[@zim1156]

Anyone realize how miss Casey has two different doors to her office. She uses the one with Irving and burt and the other with Mark later in the series. I wonder if each door triggers a different innie inside of her.

[@ollie2111]

I didn't notice that, that's interesting.

[@nananarc]

The two doors are shown in Petey map too

[@ralizmo]

whats crazy is that nobody notices what happens when she is walking to the elevator to the testing floor. That is the only time we see her unsevered and normal. It is subtle but it is there

[@mrpicky1868]

nope. we didnt se her outie

[@pepperminttree]

The actress who plays her does a great job

[@joanmitjans735]

When I first saw her and how amazing the actress is I just thought: she has to be something major later on.

[@TicTocRobotSnot]

Ms. Casey is Mark’s wife, not a clone or a robot. We know this based on Milchick’s comment regarding them not recognizing each other.

[@ecurb10]

Makes sense.

[@DamienLavizzo]

My guess is they are trying to put the conciousness of Kier into everyone via severence. "Kier" means "vat" or "vessel" in English, but it also means "The Dark One" in Gaelic. I think they're trying to see if you can completely sever one side of the brain so you can imprint a conciousness on it, specifically Kier's - or if the original personality will bleed through. If the original personality can still get through somehow, then it's unlikely that Kier could achieve total control, which seems to be important for some reason. I also think it's an analogy for the coming of the antichrist, but that's a whole other can of worms.

[@elvieann4949]

Clones still have to be born and grow to adulthood. I don't think this show would have insta-grown clones or robots. I like the coma idea as it could have been a case of Mark deciding to pull the plug and Lumen finagling to take the body before burial/ cremation to experiment on. I did a rewatch and took a good look at the tree. I am a little suspicious of the accident because there is no damage to the tree bark or any signs of a past accident. They could have pulled a Romeo and Juliet and drugged her to make Mark think she was in a coma. They do have their hands in the community and it wouldn't be far-fetched to include the hospital in that. Lumen's reasoning could simply be to see if love transcends the chip as was mentioned by the innies.

[@elikerr785]

I don't know that we could know clones have to be born and grow to adulthood, considering we don't know either in reality or in the Severance reality. However, I agree robots would be completely destroying the entire concept of the show, controlling the minds of HUMANS, in one way or another. I think they want to know what, if anything transcends the chip, with Harmony being interested in love transcending it, but Lumon likely does not care about love and only would want to know if it transcends in order to "fix" the "problem".

[@elvieann4949]

​@@elikerr785 From the scene where Petey's chip is removed, I'm thinking the chip is inserted into the thalamus. It regulates alertness, learning, and memory, so that makes sense. It also regulates emotion, which may be where Lumon is having problems. They certainly don't want their employee's work suffering because they're still feeling emotions from their outie selves. Also, look what's happening with the innies. I'm sure they would like to control some of the anger and resentment welling up there.

[@elvieann4949]

@@elikerr785 Oh, this is cool! I just found an article about waking coma patients by stimulating the thalamus.

[@marthahorst7462]

Something interesting about the painting ... Irving would have to have seen the elevator and the down arrow from the outside. So, was he the one who was sending people like Gemma down to the Testing Floor?

[@_vinii9186]

he paints because he's divorced lol

[@e.j.dortch8931]

My theory is that Lumon did “fake” and obtain Gemma’s body after the crash. We have seen this to be possible with their immense control over the town and high level connections. The “part time” position at Lumon definitely points to the fact that she never leaves, it’s even more interesting that she is counting the time she’s been alive. Since she does not leave, my belief is that what Lumon is actually up to is eternal life. This leads to Jame Eagan mentioning his “revolving” to Helly at the event. I think that the company has had the ability to put people into stasis or on ice prior to death and have been working on being able to bring them out of that and still retain emotional connection from prior. This is why Corbel is so interested in Mark and his family, she’s looking for signs from Ms. Casey AND Innie Mark of recognition so she can prove to the board that they can reverse engineer the chip to resurrect the consciousness and still keep emotions. This leads to Gemma/Ms. Casey possible being a clone and that they are using to test if Severance completely cuts off all emotional memory from the standpoint of Mark. They know that he’s a grieving alcoholic on the outside but that he has seen Ms. Casey and shown no prior signs to sculpting the tree in terms of recognizing her. Amazing show and I can’t wait for season 2, I pray they don’t lose the momentum they’ve got!

[@jessicacampbell9654]

Realizing that Gemma was probably a great candidate for testing because she was probably fluent in Russian being a Russian Literature professor. The Lexington Letter reveals that second languages are a weak point of the Severance chip. Is a second language just a memory of words or is it embedded in you?

[@lightningonoceans]

There was a car accident. She suffered a severe brain injury. Lumon has some insiders at the hospital or some kind of legal agreement. They wanted to see if they can take someone who is in comatos or has a severe brain injury and see if the chip can "bypass" the damaged area of the brain and move all function to the non-injured area.

[@Will-en6gw]

The weirdest part of Ms. Cobel is she encouraged outtie Mark to quit when he mentioned he was thinking of a big life change. If she wanted to recouple the 2 versions wouldn’t she want him to stay in the company longer so she could test him and Ms. Casey? We also know this entire thing was totally off book, she said she was trying something new with Ms. Casey so I’m not sure Lumin had any idea this was going on.

[@mudkipfan2420]

Maybe once she knew it was innie mark she thot this is the ticket back to work at lumon

[@Rosy2468]

I think she encouraged him to quit because she had just been fired and she was pissed off at the company.

[@janeeightfive7331]

What I don’t understand is that Ms Cobel encouraged Marc in his decision to leave Lumon and then when she finds out it’s his innie, she tries everything to stop them. I mean she tells Helly that Marc will suffer but I can’t wrap my mind about her behaviour at all. I don’t really know whether she cares about him or Lumon.

[@8698gil]

I think she was resigned to the fact that she had been fired, but once she realized she was talking to Mark's innie, she saw that as a way to get back in again. It was her ticket back to the company.

[@nickbueno_]

here's my guess with all this info, we know that gemma and mark had been trying to have a baby but it wasn't working out for them so maybe after a miscarriage(s) or some other complication, gemma couldn't handle the pain of their struggle and decided to work for lumon and get the severance procedure done. she then received a faulty chip or the installation went wrong and ended up brain dead but was amazingly still able to function while severed, so in an attempt to save their ass and get the chance to do this twisted experiment, lumon fabricated the accident and made everyone believe she died and her body wasn't able to be recovered. so obviously mark then follows in his wife's footstep to mask his pain and there we find them both working for lumon. hmm???

[@arefuller1]

Now this theory has been the best I’ve read!! I feel like this is def something that happened. Esp with them showing the senator’s wife having done the same to not have to bear the pain of pregnancy/labors and delivery.

[@TrishD33LGK]

I think this is where all of them go, p/t resident innie or severed employee to be re-set (clean slated) and branch transferred. I think MDR is the department that codes the chips with human emotions. Ms. Casey shed a tear in the hallway on her way back to the testing floor. She knows what is coming (a re-set?). The four of them being the 4 tempers and being the programmers does not square with the Lexington Letter though.

[@methebee]

Helly asked if she is livestock. Mark was quick to reject that option, But yeah, maybe they can clone people. Although I think it's more interesting if they abducted the real one, and why. Just to make people feel bad with their life and make them join this cult?

[@lynnhettrick7588]

I had a feeling that Mark's wife wasn't dead in the early episodes (like when he visits the site). It did seem like a way to get Mark to get severed to avoid his grief.

[@colekoenning6995]

my god i haven't heard pete's voice since better call saul ended thank god he's doing severance lol

[@methebee]

Makes me think of eternal sunshine of the spotless mind

[@peachy_lili]

omg it's sierra from dollhouse i'm like. the only person who watched that show

[@nicocba2007]

Ms. Casey doesn't act like a robot, but doesn't act like a any other severed either, we can easily note the differences between her and Helly, whose innie has just been activated but acts 'normal' for the most part. Ms. Casey seems 'empty', inexperienced, like a totally reboot hard drive or reset person. Through the conversation between Harmony and Milchick we know she also has a chip implanted though, so she's been through a different process. Most likely she was declared brain death after the accident, was an organ donor candidate and the company got her body somehow. In this case her outie ceased to exist and that would explain this zombie-like innie only person. It's clear she's being subject of some kind of experimentation by Lumen, but we still don't know their ultimate goal. Maybe this could be related to some sort of immortality project, or to some MKUltra-like project to have these people doing whatever they are asked to do.

[@fuzzyhair321]

Goats were the biggest clue, goats were one of the first animals cloned. It is ironic that Apple is producing a show that's heavily against their policies

[@whileyouweregone1678]

For real, and then you add the gala with Helly in the season finale ; those photos all look like an apple ad campaign. This company I think truly resembles Amazon though

[@iyawakarehen]

but dolly was a sheep, not a goat u__u

[@Nevyn515]

My heart also hurts for Ms Casey. I had assumed she was the first test subject for Severance, cannot go back to her original self, her death was faked and she never leaves the building. But your theory of the brain death after the car wreck and the same thing works as the reason she was picked as my test subject theory.

[@HeatherTurner01]

Theory: Gemma worked for Lumin unbeknownst to Mark and signed up for a different kind of Severance. Theory: The numbers on the computer are actually refining algorithms in the Artificial Intelligence that is The Board.

[@JonDundas10]

She's dead (and revived) or in a coma. I don't think (yet) that she's a clone. Either way, her and Mark will never get a happy ending. The series is for him to "sever" or get past his grief for her death. Her appearance is a tragic manifestation of his loss. The series will end with him putting her to rest in some way.

[@JohnSmith-bq6nf]

My theory is she lives at Lumen as noted by Petey's map on people live here. Also, since she mentions not being awake often it might suggest her innie is alive but in a coma or vegetable state. Seems like the direction they are going with this one.

[@davionhambrick8627]

I like how he gives a spoiler warning after giving a pretty big spoiler

[@PetePeppers1]

glad that worked for you

[@Walklikelions]

I wonder if the overtime contingencie caused any accidents ever... Imagine mark driving the car with his wife then the switch gets flipped and his innie is teleported into the driver seat and has no idea whats going on. I wonder if something like that ever happened.

[@CasanovaPugilist147]

Mark got severed after his wife's death though not before

[@criznittle968]

We don't know that the elevator goes down, sideways, up, or nowhere at all. A red down arrow doesn't mean a whole lot in Severance, at Lumon

[@theikimento]

i think it means that they are dead person

[@FBracht]

*Reveals biggest twist in the entire season* *THEN gives a spoiler warning*

[@junlimited]

Would love if ya did some Tokyo Vice coverage!

[@deelee1569]

This is why it's better to watch shows after they end...just run threw em at ur leisure

[@TheDmite]

Except if no one watched them, they’d get canceled and we wouldn’t get the full story.

[@GattisonPrime]

Certain shows DESERVE to be watched once per week, because it makes the experience so much more intense and satisfying. Imagine if Breaking Bad was released a whole season at a time? It wouldn't have had anywhere near the same impact that it did.

[@abc-pn2eb]

How about the fact that Irving knows what the elevator to the testing floor looks like!!!

[@shmookins]

My theory: The wife is in a coma and wrote in a will to go to the company. The company breeds people. People outside in town are the retired ones. The company breeds food supply hense the goats (and a room had vegitation. The reason is just 'control'. It isn't important as what your imagination is or as a plot device for all of this. Maybe as simple as a company breeding the 'best worker'. I'm in love with this show. It grabbed me hard from beginning to end.

[@TheAeris07]

The most unrealistic thing about this show is how long that cell phone has stayed charged.

[@Maj_Kasul]

I need to start this series

[@PetePeppers1]

you won't be disappointed

[@Thatchaoticelf]

I’m really behind the theory of her possibly being physically saved from the accident but something going wrong in the brain so “her outtie” just fall back into that catatonic state. Not sure the specifics but somehow the chip compartmentalizes the brain and uses a different part that allows her to be awake as an innie. That’s cools bro

[@rosamalia1]

I think Gemma might have been a Lumon employee before her accident, and that they caused it. Maybe she discovered something and they needed to contain. The chip might actually track them. That's how they would know when she was driving, and trigger sleep mode at just the right time. Then they set out to control Mark to make extra sure he doesn't know and it doesn't get out...

[@GattisonPrime]

Regarding your "first theory" about Gemma/Ms. Casey, just because her death was staged does not necessarily mean that it was her choice. A theme of this show seems to be that severed employees do not get to make their own choices. Therefore I think Gemma was working at Lumon on the severed floor when she "died". Then, for some reason, perhaps even to simply test the limits of the severance chip, Lumon decides to stage her death. They activate one of the other modes of the chip, such as Lullaby or Glasgow, and this makes her APPEAR dead. Then they use their connections to obtain her body and reactivate her chip. She never actually died, per se, but Mark and everyone else believed what they saw, inactive body with no brain function. As a side note, I also think it's very possible that Lumon "severs" people multiple times, and this has multiple implications. One of them being that the whole town of Keir and everyone in it is in some Truman Show/Westworld type experience, where they've all already been severed, and now some of them are opting to get RE-severed... And this would lead to a more pure, more REFINED child of Keir, which is basically Lumon's wettest dream ever. And this leads me to another theory: I believe Harmony, Milcheck and Natalie are all permanently severed. Either by their own choice, or by their Innie's (which would be the same personalities that we got to know in season 1) or by Lumon without their consent at all, the management staff have left their Outties behind because their Innie's got a huge promotion: the chance to go outside (but only into the controlled environment of the city of Keir). I strongly believe this theory because Kobel, Milcheck and Nat also act in immature ways. Early on when we first meet Milcheck, he pranks Mark by telling him to compliment her office. Harmony herself was playing with a finger trap on one occasion, which in shows like these probably signifies something. Harmony has thrown multiple "temper" tantrums, pun intended. Natalie's smugness when she got the opportunity to scold Harmony. When Milcheck obviously bullied Dylan by dancing in his face when he clearly wasn't in the mood. And then the way he said, "you broke the skin," almost like he had never bled before. All of these things feel like "pre-teen" behaviors, when compared to the childlike behavior of the MDR crew. Where MDR seems like 5 or 6 year olds (with adult level understanding of communication), Harmony and others seem like 10 or 11 year olds. Maybe exemplary severed employees, who truly believe in the handbook, true Children of Keir, are eventually allowed to go out into Keirville, replace their Outties and remain an Innie forever? That would explain why even middle management, like Milcheck, are trusted enough to leave Lumon with their memories intact. Think about it: Harmony and Milcheck know way too many sensitive secrets to be allowed to just walk out and go home every day like nothing. But if they were already brainwashed into being loyal to Keir through severance and their subsequent personality shaping processes, then there would be no real risk of one of their employees betraying their company/family secrets. I'm playing the long game here, though, since I doubt any of my theories will be proven right or wrong until season 3 or later, tbh.

[@8698gil]

I can't buy that theory that Gemma was already working for Lumon. First of all, she and Mark had a good marriage and were very close and loving to each other. Would she lie to her husband about working there? I don't think so. And, if she had told him she was working there, why would he go and work for a company whom he would probably see as responsible for her death? And Mark's sister Devon said she was a teacher, like Mark. I also don't believe any of the management/supervisory staff at Lumon are severed. It would be totally counterproductive. Besides, Harmony Cobel remembers her mother and her childhood. If she were in permanent "innie" mode, she would not be able to remember that. And all of them would have to be able to have full blown personas outside of work. What about their friends and families? It just doesn't hold up. They are not severed.

[@GattisonPrime]

@@8698gil Mark was not opposed to Severance, so there would be no need to lie about working there. Also we have very little information regarding the world outside Lumon, so it could be possible that Gemma and Mark taught together at the school, and then a year or two before she "died" she got a new job at Lumon on the Severed floor. Then that could be where Mark actually got the idea to get severed from. Mark et al were not suspicious of Lumon at the time of her "death", and she was not AT Lumon when she died so therefore Mark would probably not blame Lumon or severance for her death. As for Cobel and others, so far my theory is that they have been through advanced wellness sessions, where they have been told enough about their Outties to believably replace them. Harmony could have been told that her Outtie's mom went to Keir-school during one of these sessions. This could also explain Harmony's interest in Reintegration, because she has been severed, doesn't want to lose her Innie memories, but also wants to remember her Outtie's memories also. Keirville could then be a testing grounds for these "super-outties" to practice being normal people, before being sent out into normal society to enact Keir's will. If severance technology has been around since Helly/Helena was a little girl, then that could be 20-30 years ago. If that's true, then Lumon has had that long to experiment with severed minds. There could be so many more layers to Lumon's capabilities with the chips. Maybe Keirville isn't Lumon's only corporately owned town full of perfectly groomed Manchurian Candidates? I digress though, it is also probable that Gemma was NOT a severed employee and instead was involved in Rugabi's anti-Lumon conspiracy. That is also a reasonable explanation as to why Lumon would want to kidnap and mind-wipe Gemma.

[@8698gil]

@@GattisonPrime Personally I don't believe Gemma was involved in any conspiracy. I think she was in an unfortunate accident that Lumon took advantage of. And there is absolutely no way that Cobel is severed. It seems absolutely pointless, when she has already obviously been heavily indoctrinated in the Eagan philosophy since her childhood.

[@KingOfWinter]

Did anyone else get the idea that mark was thinking about giving his body to his inny? When he was talking about making a life changing decision and how it seemed like his life was falling apart at the end I just got the feeling he was thinking about giving his life to his inny to live. But after he wakes up and realizes mark had control of his body and (idk if he was holding a picture of his wife when he screamed “she’s alive” but I sure hope he was) that his wife might be alive it will probably give him a new lease on life

[@buhkangliwayway]

My theory? Cobel is a daughter of Kier from a mistress, was never considered his "child", and out to destroy Lumon, as a revenge for her mom, Charlotte, who was a guinea pig like what they did to comatosed Gemma.

[@jurevrbek1197]

havent watched your videos since twin peaks season 3, have to say that once i saw miss casey combined with your voice this Naido lady zapped into miss casey (or maybe mrs. c)...now there's a theory lol...anyway both great shows, though this one still easier to make some sense :)

[@mjcohnmd]

Freeze frame at 11 seconds into this video. What is that small round bump protruding through her sweater at her midline upper back? ? Some sort of data or charging port?

[@Skabanis]

This show is amazing

[@theikimento]

I have a theory that the microdata department are the one configuring the emotions of the deads. There is this episode that when Mark teaches Helly on their work with number, there is no specific instructions but feelings. They just feel the number if it feels scary or something then they click it. Now remember on the last episode when the security says that Dylan is has 2 son? But in real word he only see one? Because it is in the Ground floor of Lumin. Mark to Casey, Helley to his mother, Dylan to his Son, Bert to his father, Cobel to her mother. They are on that specific department because they are related to the deads. This is the reasons why Dylan is always meeting the quota because it is his sons emotion. Bruh!!!!!! And they are testing it to Mark and Casey.

[@keta5914]

Hmm..

[@TrishD33LGK]

Pete, at some point before Severance Season 2 airs, it would be great if you did a review with your thoughts on the Lexington Letter. I predict the Lexington Letter will play a role in Season 2. If it doesn't it would be a huge missed opportunity by the writers (and also, why release it otherwise?) Peggy must have been transported to headquarters in Kier. She (I theorize) may be a part-time innie like Casey, in Lullaby mode on the testing floor (or in the houses of the people who never leave)? at all times except for when they are needed for short tasks? Maybe Peggy will temporarily take over Ms. Casey's job in wellness. Cobel has to be related to Ricken or Devon (goats all over their house) or maybe even Mark, one of which is an Eagan descendant (grandchild) of the "Black sheep Egan" that Irv referred to in Perpetuity Wing? Did Cobel's mother have a child with him? Is Harmony, the Illegitimate child who wants her rightful place in the family and maybe to resurrect her mother and father? Not sure if he was alive tho. Didn't go back to dates. Feeding tube litigation in lexington letter is absolutely related to Cobel's mother. Jim Milchick is absolutely related to Seth Milchick. So many ways to go with this. Love to know what you think!

[@PetePeppers1]

I'll think about revisiting the Lexington Letter before season 2 comes out. Thanks!

[@ollie2111]

Oooooooh, I haven't read the Lexington Letter yet but Peggy being the new Wellness Center counselor would be really interesting. I hope they combine the two in a way that people who haven't read the book can still understand exactly what's going on, but people who have read the book will get extra insights and satisfaction, similarly to how it is with season 1 where it seems like people have more hints with LL, but people who only watched the show still understand everything. Well, everything that they intended to reveal thus far.

[@TrishD33LGK]

@@ollie2111 Not sure if they'll connect it but it would seem like such a missed opportunity if they didn't. It's a really fast read. It's not a "book" per se. It's a series of short emails to a newspaper whose editor is a MILCHICK (Seth's brother?) Attached to the end is the Lumon handbook. Nautilus Files does some great videos on Severance.

[@ollie2111]

@@TrishD33LGK ahh okay, thank you! :)) also yes I found both of these channels for Severance theory/analysis vids and subscribed at the same time hahaha 😄.

[@shimyns]

The accident left her brain dead. Lumen inserted a chip that allowed them to essentially program whatever they wanted. The refiners' job is to sift through the program based on their severed intuition and balance her (and others' like her) program with the 4 Kier emotions so she is functional, which will help fulfill Lumen's ultimate goal of having the capability to completely take over people's minds to have them do their every bidding.

[@tinkergnomad]

"I'm go into everything after this quick spoiler warning, even though I've already spoiled most of the important stuff IN THE TITLE OF THE VIDEO, and in the first couple sentences before the spoiler warning." 🤣 Seriously, what even is the point of a spoiler warning by the time you get around to it? Glad I've already seen the show. Everyone else is phukt. Also, I don't think Cobel is a true believer. I think she's worked her way up to avenge get mother and take Lumon down. There was some info on Lumon getting sued over faulty breathing/feeding tubes, and when Cobel destroys the shrine there's a closer up shot of a breathing/feeding tube with her mom's name on it.

[@Stef-Bef]

She would’ve had to donate her body otherwise I’m sure they would’ve had a funeral/burial. And I think the chips can do more than contain memories because they had all those other protocols in addition to the OTC

[@8698gil]

Lumon owns that whole town, including the police and hospitals. Maybe Lumon has a deal with the hospital regarding comatose or near death patients. What if the hospital told Mark that his wife's body had been too badly burned/disfigured for viewing and therefore had to have a closed casket or cremation funeral? that way they could get away with taking her body without Mark knowing bout it.

[@heckinbasedandinkpilledoct7459]

@@8698gil that’s a good point

[@newworld2086]

They might be testing different scenarios that might trigger failure of the chip. The facility shown in the show might be one of the many across the world.

[@f25mart]

I believe Lumon is either trying to reanimate the Eagen family, so everyone "will become Keir" like what Helly R's father said, or they're trying to achieve immortality via transfer of consciousness. I believe they got access to Mark's wife's body after the accident and Ms.Casey is one phase of their experiments.... of immortality or reanimation...and that is so damn evil lol

[@sonderstudios6675]

I think Gemma didn't die. I believe she was hurt very badly, but lumen has their hands in everything. That was the perfect opportunity to get a test subject. I think she's in permanent severance and she was being gauged on what she remembered. I believe she was remembering and was sent down for more extreme measures. I hope this gets explored more and he isn't gone for good.

[@timothygonzalez4837]

im just curious why she is alive?!!! my god where did she go when they fired her..remember she asks ...am i happy up there?

[@nerkoids]

There's a fourth possibility, and far more plausible. Their Outie versions are just as constructed as their Innie versions, and that their real versions exist outside the borders of the company town they all live in. Meaning, their outie worlds might not even be real either. Gemma is as much a construction as Outie Mark. Maybe we'll see that in season 2.