Spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Severance follow. After watching the Season 2 finale of my favorite show, Severance, I’m at a loss for words. Although the Season 1 finale exceeded all my expectations, I’m so excited to say that Season 2 goes above and beyond what I and many others were theorizing. While Season 1 dealt with the innies at Lumon Industries realizing there’s more happening behind the scenes of their beloved company, Season 2 jumps into the rebellion of the Macrodata Refinement workers. After discovering his wife, Gemma, is alive and being held at Lumon, Mark’s outie decides to form a plan to break her out. This idea creates pushback from Mark’s innie, as his feelings for Helly have grown throughout Season 2. It’s not until the very end of the season, that Mark’s feelings for both Gemma and Helly are right in front of him and he’s forced to choose — stay at Lumon with Helly or escape with Gemma as his outie. So what could this and everything else that happens in the Season 2 finale mean for Season 3? Let’s discuss.
Let’s break down the final scene.
After Outie Mark successfully gets Gemma away from the Cold Harbor room and her floor, the two switch between their innies (Mark becomes his innie, while Gemma becomes Miss Casey) as they make a run to the staircase. While Innie Mark is able to get Gemma outside and away from the severed floor, Gemma’s normal self begs for Mark to come outside with her so they can escape Lumon together. But Mark’s innie doesn’t know anything about Gemma or have any romantic feelings for her. In the final few moments of the episode, Helly finds Mark as he’s deciding whether or not he should leave with Gemma, but Mark’s innie decides to stay with Helly on the severed floor rather than leave Lumon. It’s a bittersweet ending as Gemma screams from the stairwell only for Mark to run away with someone else.
The final shot of Season 2 shows Helly and Mark holding hands and running back through the place that brought them together, even though there’s a high possibility they may not make it out alive now that Cold Harbor has been completed and there’s seemingly no reason to keep their innies around.
How will Mark’s choice affect Gemma in Season 3?
On March 21, Apple TV+ announced that Severance had officially been renewed for Season 3. However, it seems like it may be a while until we know the result of Innie Mark’s decision to stay with Helly. I imagine that Mark’s choice will be the central story of Season 3, especially now that Gemma is in the outside world. Since Outie Mark planned for Gemma’s escape with his sister Devon and Ms. Cobel, Gemma will potentially be seeking refuge with them as she begins to recover from the treatment she endured at Lumon.
During Episode 7, Dr. Mauer tells Gemma that Mark has remarried and now has a daughter of his own, which Gemma doesn’t believe. After seeing Mark and Helly run off together, it’s possible that Gemma may start believing what Dr. Mauer told her is true in some capacity. With Gemma back on the outside, it’s also possible that she and Devon may be teaming up to get Mark to quit Lumon for good if they manage to reconnect with his outie.
How will the decision affect Mark and Helly in Season 3?
Since Innie Mark chose to stay on the severed floor with Helly, there’s a chance Season 3 may begin as soon as Mark and Helly return to the office after running away. What that means for them now that Mark completed Cold Harbor is left unknown. Will Lumon need them anymore? Will they be at risk of being eliminated or held in some type of purgatory until Gemma is returned to Lumon? Will fans get to see the two of them figure out how to maintain their relationship while taking full agency of their bodies? And what about the theory that Helly is pregnant?
The love triangle between Mark, Helly, and Gemma just got so much deeper and after that Season 2 cliffhanger, no one knows what will happen to them in future episodes. With their love stories at the forefront, it’s clear their love truly does transcend severance, but I have a feeling this isn’t going to end well.
Even though Season 3’s release date is unknown, I’m going to be overanalyzing the final moments of the Season 2 finale in preparation for whatever’s next for my favorite characters.