Warning! This article contains spoilers for Severance season 2’s episode 2.
One subtle development fromSeveranceseason 2 episode 2’s ending moments might have surprisingly confirmed one popular Helly theory.Severanceseason 2’s episode 2primarily focuses on the lives of the outies, highlighting all the provisions Lumon takes to ensure Mark’s return. The episode reveals that Lumon did not care about retaining all other MDR employees, but the company’s board decided to bring back Dylan, Irving, and Helly at Mark’s request.
While Mark believes all his teammates have returned, viewers have been wondering if Helena (the outie) has replaced Helly (the innie). Many hidden details seem to support this theory. For instance, Helly/Helena blatantly lies about her Overtime Contingency experience fromSeverance season 1’s endingand even tries to convince Mark that their outies do not deserve their help. She also struggles to find her computer’s switch in episode 1’s ending moments. These clues may have only hinted at her real identity, but episode 2’s ending seems to confirm who she is.
Severance Season 2’s Episode 2 Seemingly Confirms Helena Has Replaced Her Innie
Episode 2 Features One Fascinating Detail That Almost Confirms Her Identity
Severanceseason 2’s episode 2 ends with Mark, Irving, Dylan, and Helly returning to the Lumon office while Mark’s former MDR coworkers get fired. In these closing moments, the show emphasizes how each MDR employee first visits their locker, collects their Lumon ID card, and, then proceeds to the elevator to reach their desired floor. All four employees seem to follow the same routine, but Helly’s chain of actions deviates from others in one significant way.
Severance: What Lumon’s Macrodata Refinement Department Does
Many aspects of the Macrodata Refinement Department’s job remain unclear in Severance, but the show drops many clues about what Lumon expects from it.
Mark, Irving, and Dylan first scan their IDs in a slot provided outside the elevator. As soon as their IDs are verified, the elevator makes a “ding” sound before letting them in. Once they enter the elevator, the doors close, and another “ding” sound can be heard, seemingly marking their outie-to-innie transitions.The second ding can be heard for Mark, Irving, and Dylan but not for Helena, suggesting she does not switch into her innie. This could be a solid clue that confirms Helly never made it back and was replaced by Helena.
Why Helena Would Take Helly’s Place In The MDR Department Explained
Helena Has More Reasons Than One
Since Helena Eagan is the daughter of Lumon Industries CEO Jame Eagan, she must have decided to replace her innie to protect the company. After theOvertime Contingency incident inSeveranceseason 1, she probably realized how big of a threat her innie can be to Lumon. Before Helly became a part of the Macrodata Refinement team, Dylan, Mark, and Irving were fairly satisfied with their job and rarely questioned the moral implications of what they were doing. Helly, however, made them question their environment, encouraging them to rebel against Lumon.
…Helena stepped forward to replace her innie to experience what she felt with Mark.
To ensure that history does not repeat itself, Helena seemingly takes Helly’s place to reverse the damage her innie caused and manipulate the other innies into conforming to the company’s rules.Severanceseason 2’s episode 2also shows how Helena is surprised after finding the footage of her innie kissing Mark.She almost seems envious when she realizes her innie’s life is better than hersin more ways than one. This makes it hard not to believe that Helena stepped forward to replace her innie to experience what she felt with Mark.
Severance Season 2’s New Intro Seems To Further Confirm The Helly/Helena Theory
Mark Looks For Both Helly & Gemma In The Intro
In the closing scene ofSeveranceseason 2’s new opening credits sequence, Mark finds himself in the corridor leading to an elevator that Irving’s outie keeps painting. The same dark corridor was also featured inSeveranceseason 1’s final arc, where Ms. Casey can be seen standing in the elevator, seemingly being transferred to Lumon’s testing floor. Even in the opening credits, Mark finds Ms. Casey inside the same elevator before she morphs into Helly.
While this scene from the opening credits will likely make more sense much later inSeveranceseason 2,it seemingly suggests that Mark’s innie will have to look for both Ms. Casey and Helly. Like Ms. Casey, Helly, too, did not return. Therefore, during his quest to learn the truth about his outie’s wife, Gemma, Mark will also have to find Helly inSeveranceseason 2 before it is too late.
Severance
Severance is a psychological thriller series featuring Adam Scott as Mark Scout, an employee at Lumon Industries who undergoes a “severance” procedure to separate his work and personal memories. However, as work and life personas mysteriously begin to collide, it quickly becomes clear that not all is as it seems. Created by Dan Erickson and directed by Ben Stiller and Aoife McArdle.
