Brace Yourself for the Shocking Conclusion of Severance's Second Season
The Season 2 finale of Severance was a mind-blowing spectacle that felt bigger and more significant than everything we'd witnessed so far this season, combined. After weeks and weeks of hints and questions, the episode, titled "Cold Harbor," finally delivered some answers, endings, and new mysteries galore. Let's dive in, but be warned – there are full spoilers ahead.
Things pick up right where the last episode ended, with innie Mark confused about his whereabouts and standing face-to-face with his old boss, Harmony Cobel. She dives right into the Gemma stuff, and when she mentions the "exports hall," Mark brings up Irving's mysterious drawings. This catches Cobel off guard – after all, how did Irving know about the exports hall? But before this fascinating detail can be explored, we're moved on to more pressing matters.
After a brief scene with Helly and Jame back at MDR, where Jame confesses he doesn't love his daughter Helena but sees a Kier-like spirit in her innie (Helly is taken aback by this revelation), things get interesting. Cobel and Devon explain their plan to break Gemma out of Lumon, hoping that it will expose the company for kidnapping and faking her death. While this plan is great for Cobel and Devon, it doesn't seem so appealing to innie Mark, who sees it as sacrificing his life for a stranger. Before Mark can think too much about it, there's a surprise visitor – outie Mark, who has recorded a message for innie Mark.
This is exactly what we'd wanted since day one – for both versions of Mark to communicate with each other. And while their conversation starts off innocent enough, things quickly take a turn. Innie Mark questions how this plan benefits him and the other innies, and outie Mark explains the concept of reunification and the possibility of becoming one. The innie wants an explanation, but Mark doesn't have one. Eventually, outie Mark brings up his innie's relationship with Helly, but he mixes up her name (calling her "Heleny"), and that's the moment Mark's innie flips on his outie and starts defying and challenging him.
We realize that while these are two different versions of Mark, it's still just Mark – each one wants what he wants and is unwilling to compromise. What Severance viewers are left wondering is simple: is one right, and which side do we choose?
Cobel steps in to clear things up, giving us a massive exposition dump about the numbers Mark deals with at work that represent the minds and emotions of Gemma. For each file Mark completes, he allows Lumon to create a new innie for her. When the 25th file, Cold Harbor, is finished, the project will be complete, and they'll have no further need for Mark, Gemma, or the MDR employees. Cobel says it's over for them. Innie Mark isn't sure if he can believe her, so he storms out, telling Devon to relay a message to his outie – the next thing he sees had better be the severed floor or else he won't be helping.
Of course, that's exactly where things go next. But before we move on to the rest of the episode, let's give props to Adam Scott for his incredible performance as both versions of Mark. You could clearly see the differentiations between both, and the journey each one took – from excitement and appreciation, to pure venom and confusion – was impressive.
At Lumon, it's the day all the creeps have been waiting for. Mark S. is finishing up Cold Harbor, and to celebrate, he and Helly are greeted with a brand new painting outside the elevator ("The Exalted Victory of Cold Harbor") and an eerie wax statue of Kier in the middle of MDR. The statue holds a note from Mr. Milchick, letting Mark know that Kier wanted to watch the work, and if he finishes, "goodies" will await. And, as you might have guessed, these "goodies" do not disappoint.
There's also a surprise return from Dylan. When we last saw him, Dylan's innie had quit Lumon, but it turns out that his outie didn't agree. In a touching moment, innie Dylan is handed a letter from his outie thanking him for being so badass and expressing his own lack of confidence. Outie Dylan writes that if Dylan wants to quit, he can, but he hopes he doesn't because it brings him hope. The performances and execution in this scene were moving – I teared up, and Mr. Milchick's hurried exit was the perfect comedic touch.
Mark decides to start working on Cold Harbor, but he's hesitant. Helly tells him about Jame Eagan showing up, and Mark informs her about the implications of finishing the file – there's a good chance they'll cease to exist. Helly encourages him to take the leap and help Gemma escape. They hold hands, get close, and finally finish the file.
After two tension-filled scenes, we needed a release, and boy did we get one. Starting with a memorable lights-and-music introduction, followed by some awkward comedic banter between Mr. Milchick and the animatronic Kier statue, and culminating with a full marching band appearing out of nowhere – this was the most absurd, funny, and unexpected moment in Severance history. Exactly what we needed to lighten the mood before getting back to the action.
Mark knows he's on a time limit to reach the testing floor before Gemma is killed, and he makes a run for it. Helly steals Milchick's walkie-talkie, creating the needed diversion, and manages to trap Milchick in the MDR bathroom until Dylan appears and barricades the door.
The Season 2 finale is filled with action, emotion, and unexpected twists, making it an eagerly anticipated conclusion to an already fantastic season of Severance. With Mark's decision to stay with Helly over Gemma tantalizingly leaving numerous unanswered questions and potential fallout from Gemma's escape, we can't wait to see what Season 3 has in store for us.
- The Season 2 finale of Severance featured a conversation between innie Mark and outie Mark, a rare occurrence that shifts the narrative by allowing both versions to communicate.
- Outie Mark introduces the concept of reunification, suggesting that the merging of two self-entities could benefit both innies and the outies.
- IO9's exposition reveals that each file Mark completes aids Lumon in creating a new innie for Gemma, with the 25th file, titled "Cold Harbor," signifying the completion of the project and the potential demise of Mark, Gemma, and the MDR employees.
- Amidst the technological advancements in the series, the benefits and differentiations between self-entities, particularly the innies and outies, continue to be a central theme in the series' narrative.
