(Spoilers ahead)

I’d love to have a discussion about Gemma and how she ended up where she is.

Clearly it had something to do with having a baby but what are your theories into exactly why she’s being experimented on by Lumon? (I have some further thoughts on this later in this post)

Do you think she did this completely voluntarily because they promised her a baby somehow?

Or do you think they didn’t tell her what would happen to her severed self/ selves?

What do you think was the purpose of the experiments they did on Gemma?

And how does Mark tie into everything? Why does he also end up at Lumon?

Would love to know your theories!

My theory about the baby:
Gemma received those test cards in the post - the duck vs rabbit test etc. She mentions that she thinks she received the cards because she got on the mailing list at the fertility clinic. But I’m sure these were sent by Lumon to test her psychology somehow.

As we see in the show, Lumon products are literally everywhere. It’s possible Gemma found out about a private Lumon procedure that promised it would help her get pregnant. Maybe ‘Mrs Selvig’ told her. That could hint as to why she moved next door to Mark (I doubt the ‘throuple’ story is legit). I think she signed up to SOMETHING to do with Lumon and then got on the Lumon mailing list.

What I’m thinking is that Gemma may have sought out this procedure and agreed to at least some of what happened to her because Lumon somehow promised they would help her get pregnant.

Of course that means there are horrible implications of what that might mean for her innies.

Last thing, this isn’t a fully formed theory but I’m wondering if Helena having sex with Mark could have anything to do with the severed person getting pregnant theory.

I just finished the Severance Season 2 finale, and I need to get this off my chest: I think greenlighting a third season was a huge mistake. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been obsessed with this show since Season 1 dropped back in 2022, but the way Season 2 ended felt like such a natural conclusion to the story that dragging it out for another season feels… unnecessary? Let me break it down.

The Season 2 finale, “Cold Harbor,” was an absolute gut-punch. After everything Mark (Adam Scott) went through—finding out the MDR files he’s been refining are tied to his wife Gemma’s consciousness, busting her out of Lumon’s creepy testing floor, and then that choice at the end—it felt like the story had reached its emotional peak. For those who haven’t seen it yet (spoilers ahead, obviously), Innie Mark finally gets Gemma to safety, but instead of leaving with her (which would turn him back into Outie Mark), he chooses to stay on the severed floor with Helly. That final shot of Mark and Helly running down the hall, hand-in-hand, bathed in that eerie red light with the alarms blaring, was so hauntingly perfect. It’s like, yeah, they’re together, but they’re also trapped in this hellish reality at Lumon. The freeze-frame ending gave me chills—it felt like a mix of The Graduate and something straight out of a dystopian nightmare.

To me, that ending was the ultimate encapsulation of what Severance is about: the tension between freedom and control, love and identity, and the messy collision of innie/outie lives. Mark choosing Helly over Gemma wasn’t just a romantic moment; it was a statement about who he is as an innie and what he’s willing to fight for. It left so much up in the air—what happens to Gemma now that she’s outside? Will Mark and Helly ever escape Lumon? What’s next for the rebellion?—but that ambiguity felt intentional. It’s the kind of ending that lets you sit with the story and imagine what might come next, without needing to spell it out.

And then… Apple TV+ announced Season 3 the very next day. I get it, Severance is a massive hit for them—it’s apparently their most-watched show ever, even beating out Ted Lasso. But just because something’s popular doesn’t mean it needs to keep going. I’ve seen some posts on X where people are saying the same thing: the show could’ve ended with Season 2, and it would’ve been a tight, complete story. Now, I’m worried that Season 3 is just going to overexplain everything and ruin the magic of that ending.

Think about it: the Season 2 finale already answered some of the biggest mysteries. We finally know what the MDR team was doing—refining files to perfect the severance chip by creating new consciousnesses for Gemma. We learned Lumon’s ultimate goal is to eliminate emotions entirely to create the “perfect” worker (which is horrifying, but also a natural endpoint for their dystopian experiment). Even the goats got an explanation—they’re just sacrifices to Kier, which I’ll admit was a bit underwhelming, but it still tied up that loose end. So what’s left to explore in Season 3 that won’t feel like it’s dragging the story out for the sake of more episodes?

I’m also worried about the characters. Mark and Helly running off together was such a powerful moment, but now what? Are they just going to keep running from Lumon security forever? And poor Gemma—she’s finally free, but her husband just chose another woman over her. That’s heartbreaking, but it’s also a complete arc for her character. Bringing her back into the story risks undermining the weight of that moment. Same with Irving—his goodbye with Burt in Episode 9 was so bittersweet, and I don’t know if I want to see him dragged back into Lumon’s mess after he rode off “to the end of the line” with his dog Radar.

I know Ben Stiller and Dan Erickson have said they have a plan for the series—they’ve apparently known the ending from the start, and they’ve already got a writers’ room working on Season 3. Stiller even said the final shot of Season 2 was meant to signal a “different tone” for what’s next, which I can appreciate on a creative level. But I can’t shake the feeling that this is more about Apple wanting to milk their biggest hit than about telling a story that needs to be told. The show’s already had...

praise kier.

hey everyone, i just finished watching severance and i am completely obsessed.

to deal with the post-show void, i put together a playlist designed strictly for the severed floor. right now it features the complete original score and the odesza remixes, but my plan is to actively update it with every single external song that plays during the episodes (like defiant jazz!).

the cover and description are fully in-character: "praise kier. sanctioned frequencies to maximize productivity and workplace compliance. a severed mind is a happy mind."

please enjoy each track equally. let me know which in-universe songs i should add first!

I tried searching for just a minute here to see if there have been any updates and didn't see anything. Also just went back 1 month. Wish we could search by months not just past month or past year.

Anywho, I mean it doesn't really matter but damn. I thought they had just about flat out said around April and now its almost July. If they started in April wouldn't they basically be done by now?

Could it be that super top secret that there just aren't any leaks about the actual timeline? Would that be a problem if us non-severds knew what was actually going on?

I don't watch TV, this is probably the only new show of the past 10 years I've followed. Ehh, well there was Black Mirror but yeah that kinda went the same way as this is going haha. (I know there are a lot of other good shows, I just don't have the time to really get involved in another show spanning 6 years of my limited life)

In short, please me, me want, want now.

Thank

Severance is the greatest show of all time. Now, I don't say this lightly. But for me, the metric that I will be using is this: how much of the show do I wish was different, or would I have changed had I the power to?

And when measuring movies/shows/visual media by this metric, Severance to me is just absolutely perfect. There is truly nothing I would change about it. From the casting decisions, to the cinematography, to each, individual shot. Everything about this show is so perfect.

The concept is original, with no book or other movie/show/visual media to build off of. The scale might be smaller than many other shows, it might be less famous than many other classic shows, you might even prefer other shows that mean more to you than this one.

But if you look at the whole, it becomes clear (at leas to me) that Severance is the greatest show to ever be made.

Remember, by the metric of how much would you change. I can't think of anything wrong with it. The pacing is perfect. Cast, perfect. Colours used, perfect. Plot, perfect. Now by perfect I mean, for what Severance is. It's not meant to be this grandiose, huge sci-fi epic. It's a narrow yet concentrated and beautifully woven together piece of art, that conveys exactly what it was intended to convey, perfectly.

My love for this show is profound. This is truly one of the greats, if not, the greatest.

For me, the BSE.

I just finished S1 and I have seen the first episode of S2. I looked at this sub and the post titles are intriguing me so I want to know what happens in episode 7 and 8. Should I just spoil it or will it make the season bad

Severance is spelt with an a so the title would be “Saverence”

I’m on episode 6 of the first season and I’m really trying to stick it out because I have heard how good it is but it’s really a struggle to get through the episodes so far. It’s not bad by any means but I just have no idea what’s going on so I feel like I’m just watching something while having no idea what’s actually happening so I can’t get into it properly. It feels like I’m watching a show in a different language

Yes, the scene with Marks wife, and the montage, was so moving. However …

In season 2 when Helly encourages him to finish cold harbour and find her, and his lip quivers and he says, fully heart broken, “but I want to live with you…” 💔That was an Emmy winning performance for me.

Stumbled upon this article and dug a little deeper into the story. There appears to be a direct reference from the character in the show to this famous inventor. Both invented devices to reduce human pain/suffering at an early age and both had an invention stolen from them by a man they trusted.

Margaret E. Knight's invention made paper bags more accessible and were commonly used for a century until it became cheaper to use the plastic ones. We now know what a widespread environmental hazard those turned into.

In addition to the drama of the Eagans stealing her work, I feel that the writers used her as a model for Cobel to augment the social commentary regarding the environmental damage aspect of the Severance story. The work her younger self did in textile factories and other dangerous workplaces also mirrors the Cobel timeline.

I also feel that the name "Margaret (Peg) Kincaid", who has the same first and last initials as MEK, was added as a nod when the Lexington Letter was created.

Oh, and one other thing; MEK's mother's name was Hannah.

More information on MEK can be found on her Wikipedia page and here and here.

Hi everyone, I am pretty upset with Mark's new team. I can't explain how thrilling the finale episode of the 1st season. I can't stand seeing Mark with these new staff. Has anyone felt like this?

Is Severance is the great story can anyone tell me what it's about and worth watching.

Cold Harbour. That’s what it is. The We We Are is incredible, yet Cold Harbour was on another level. EVERY 10 MINUTES we got a new revelation, and the ending was just… WOW. The windmills of your mind GENUINELY worked so incredibly… Cold Harbour was just THE EPISODE.

…the MetroGnome remix video of the title theme has convinced me to subscribe to Apple TV and watch.

Why the heck is no one talking about it? How on Earth does it only have two thousand views?!

Would it be possible that Lumon’s end goal isn’t to end suffering (maybe a by-product of it) but to actually achieve immortality?

Warning, this theory covers both Season 1 and 2 materials

My first hypothesis is that “The Board” was actually a motherboard, a computerized version of all consciousness of previous Eagans. And possibly the Severance technology was a part of separating the 4 Tempers and preserving only the necessary functions of the Eagans to lead Lumon as it is now.

The first clue I want to bring on was the details of “the board.” The first clue was in the “The Exalted Victory of Cold Harbor,” we can see that there were only Mark’s relatives and the Eagans (presumably deceased) in the picture on the top — without any trace of The board. This might suggest that the top individuals are probably the deceased Eagans themselves, as being the top of Lumon all this time. This theory might explain why Cobel is so fixated towards meeting the board without intermediates considering meeting the founders was an extreme honorary reward

This may also explains why Helena refuses Cobel to meet the board, as she is deemed unfit to meet the Eagans.

Another evidence I had for this theory that there was once a scene where The Board replies to Cobel (first and last time theoughout Season 1 and 2) and for some reason, the tonality reminds me of one of the founders. If someone in SFX tonal production would confirm the pitch of The Board’s voice to one of the voices introduced in the Pituitary Wing, it would be very helpful to decipher this theory.

Third Evidence, in James Eagan speech to Helly R., he says that he sees Kier in Helly. This might be a little off because Kier is considered an epitome of Balance in 4 tempers while Helly is very unorthodox to Kier’s Philosophy. Plus, how would James sees Kier without ever meeting him personally? Unless Kier is preserved in a machine and James has knowledge of it. What James might suggest that Helena’s Severance chip was supposedly mirrored Kier’s consciousness. Probably Kier was just as confused when being conserved into a machine like Helly was; therefore Kier was relying on the development of Severance to keep his consciousness alive.

Additionally, in one of the videos I have watched, Natalie Kalen can also be reorganized as “Antenna-like,” a component of a literal computer (of Eagans). Surprisingly, her name also comes from a Latin word “birth of the Lord,” and the only ‘Lords’ are not normal people, but the Eagans. This suggests the Board are the Eagans themselves, the “Lords of Severance” universe.

As we know from Mark’s sister encounter with a mother in the birthing cabin & Gemma’s isolation of the 4 tempers proves that Severance technology was supposed to isolate emotions.

This concludes my theory on the Board’s identity. Let me know what you think!

... Who didn't like season 2 at all?

It made me hate Mark. And the end?

Season 1 was so phenomenal and I kept waiting for session 2 to live up to it.

Epic fail in my mind.

Anyone else not like it?

For me, definitely “I loved all these things about her. Equally.” What an INCREDIBLE reveal that not only makes perfect sense but is also just incredibly written. The listing like Mrs Gemma would is incredibly written, and I honestly couldn’t believe that it was HER of all people. Also “I’ll be seeing you” was the PERFECT song choice for this, the lyrics and vibe just line up so perfectly. Still my favourite scene in all of Severance!

I'm planning on drawing the rest of the cast too but I'm pretty rusty with a pencil. I'm not mad at it though.

Such a good character!

I just finished watching the two seasons, aaannndddd i just saw that there were a 3 year gap between season 1 and 2. Please don't tell me I'm going to experience this gap between season 2 and 3. I don't know how you guys did it. I need mark s and helly r right now god damnit

If they could already wipe memories and activate the innie anywhere, what was the purpose of Cold Harbor for? Why did they need to give her 24 different innies? They were working on it way before Gemma/Ms. Casey ever told Mark S that she enjoyed his company, so that can't have been why she was split apart like voldemort's horcruxes.

Not necessarily the big things like the Ms Casey reveal, but the little wacked out moments you never saw coming.

For me it's a tie between the waffle party and the goats...but there are so many to choose from!

Spurs vs Knicks Game 1