Did you’re feeling it? That little jolt of adrenaline while you pressed play on the primary episode of Severance season two? We positive did. It’s been three years since the first season ended, and the actual fact we had been lastly about to see what happens next offered a pleasant little rush. It’s the kind of second you reside for as a fan of popular culture. That information that, within the subsequent few seconds, one thing you will have been ready for is lastly right here. And Severance season two is lastly right here.
Then, as one would’ve hoped, the premiere episode delivered. Perhaps it didn’t have all of the solutions, however it instantly tackled all of your questions and set the stage for a second season that appears as if it’ll stay as much as the primary. Let’s focus on it. (And in case you haven’t caught up but, this article should do the trick.)
The season two premiere of Severance, “Hi there, Ms. Cobel,” began precisely the place you wished it to, with innie Mark (Adam Scott) waking up at Lumon with the information that his outtie’s spouse (Dichen Lachman) is alive and, hypothetically, someplace on that ground. Pleasure and power fill the body because the digital camera follows Mark everywhere in the severed ground in a single unbroken shot on his approach to the Wellness room the place Ms. Casey labored. However, not solely is she not there, the room isn’t there both.
Within the Macrodata Refinement workplace, Mark meets three new severed individuals (Alia Shawkat, Bob Balaban, Stefano Carannante) who we later be taught got here from different branches of Lumon. Mark is principally the viewers at this level, although, and doesn’t care about that simply but. He merely needs to know the place his workforce is and Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) is happy to tell him.
Milchick tells Mark that it’s been 5 months for the reason that innies briefly awoke within the outdoors world and that it was a really painful expertise for everybody. In response to Milchick, their outties have grow to be well-known because the “face of severance reform” and exhibits him their image in a newspaper, apparently in some sort of parade. You immediately discover that the paper is all redacted, however in case you pause you’ll additionally discover the paper is known as “The Kier Telegraph.” The New York Instances, this isn’t—so clearly, one thing isn’t proper.
Once more, this doesn’t actually matter to Mark. He needs solutions. Solutions to questions like why was their boss, Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette), at his household’s celebration? Milchick says she’s been fired as a result of she had an “erotic fixation” on Mark and hoped to enter right into a throuple with each his innie and outtie. We all know that’s not the case however it’s fascinating to look at as Milchick spins all these lies he’s been fed by Lumon—and Mark isn’t having any of it. Mark can also be instructed not one of the different outties wished to return to Lumon which is why he’s the one one again in MDR. He doesn’t consider that and says he needs to listen to it instantly from them.
All of that occurs in roughly the primary 10 minutes of the premiere and issues are simply getting began. We now have our timeframe, some solutions, and are feeling the matched power between our anticipation of the present coming again and Mark’s eagerness to determine what the hell is occurring.

Mark goes again to MDR and will get a bit extra acquainted along with his new workforce. Quickly although, he makes an attempt to sabotage them by writing a word supposedly from the opposite Mark (Balaban’s Mark W.), telling his outtie to explode the ground. The brand new group activates him and Mark makes a run for it. He will get to Milchick’s workplace, grabs the omnipotent speaker, and begs the board to get his workforce again. It’s a tense, thrilling scene—the precise sort of riot we had been hoping to see—however it doesn’t go too properly. Milchick catches him and sends Mark away. Or so we expect.
Mark wakes up at Lumon once more however this time, he’s not alone. Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and eventually Helly R. (Britt Decrease) all emerge one after the other from the elevator. Did Lumon truly ask them to come back again? How did they get them to alter their minds? We’re curious, however frankly at this second we don’t care. It’s simply thrilling to lastly see the buddies and colleagues again collectively once more. And, as you’d anticipate, they’re all very confused. It’s the primary time they’ve been again for the reason that finish of the final season and they’re dying to know what everybody noticed.
To elucidate, Milchick brings all of them to the newly reworked break room—and, reader, we weren’t prepared for this. He performs a video for them that he says will likely be proven to each innie any further. It’s a stop-motion animated story of their very own riot, dubbed “The Macrodata Rebellion,” that spins it as one thing good for Lumon. An occasion that opened Lumon’s eyes to the emotions of innies and, in consequence, introduced on “bounteous reforms.” You think about they imply “reform” as in explaining what the hell everyone seems to be engaged on, maybe. However after all that’s not the case. Lumon’s significant reforms are simply new meals and diversions like bobbing for pineapples. It’s all essentially the most random, pointless stuff. The group is as confused and shocked as we’re on the video, however much more shocked after they’re instructed they’ve a selection: due to their actions, their innies, not their outties, will likely be given a selection whether or not or not they need to keep.
Then, lastly, it occurs. After half-hour of knowledge and rigidity, Mark, Helly, Irv, and Dylan get to talk privately and reveal what occurred to every of them on the finish of final season. Mark, after all, reveals that Ms. Cobel is aware of him on the skin and that Ms. Casey is his outtie’s (supposedly) lifeless spouse. That’s a shock to everybody. However it’s not as large of a shock as what Helly says. We all know her outtie is without doubt one of the heads of Lumon however she as a substitute lies and says she awoke in her house, watching TV. We’re left questioning if she’s embarrassed by the reality or if that is her outtie now spying on the others. Irving is immediately onto her, although, when he realizes a part of her story—that there was a gardener working outdoors her house at evening—doesn’t add up.

Irv is reluctant to inform everybody his story too and runs off. Dylan catches him and learns that Irv noticed the love of his life, Burt (Christopher Walken), however came upon that he’s married. The disappointment is an excessive amount of to bear and Irv needs to depart. Fortunately, Dylan begs him to remain to allow them to determine all of it out collectively, and by the top he agrees. Helly then vows to assist Mark determine the entire state of affairs along with his spouse, regardless of their romantic curiosity in one another, and Milchick covertly reveals to Dylan they’re constructing him a particular room the place he can see his outtie’s household… however he can’t inform anybody else about it.
Mainly, everybody nonetheless has secrets and techniques however most significantly, all of them select to remain. And with a round shot that mirrors the beginning of the episode, the Severance crew is again with an entire new function.
By way of season premieres, particularly after a protracted hiatus, Severance just about nailed it. It threw us proper again into this world and didn’t keep away from tackling the large questions. It didn’t give us any large solutions and, in actual fact, simply gave us extra questions—however with a full season but to come back, we’re completely effective with that.
Further ideas
- Was that Keanu Reeves because the voice of the Lumon constructing within the video? It positive sounded prefer it.
- The episode is known as “Welcome, Ms. Cobel” after the screensaver message nonetheless on what’s now Mr. Milchick’s pc. It’s one thing he’s clearly very, very mad about however it appears pointless. Why is he so anxious? What does that say about him? Is he merely feeling disrespected or is it one thing extra?
- Miss Huang (Sarah Bock), proper? How bizarre is it to have a baby strolling round as a supervisor, and the way fantastic was it for everybody to proceed to convey it up?
- The brand new MDR persons are principally an afterthought right here however they do present loads of attention-grabbing context. For instance, we be taught that certainly one of their outdated branches had completely different, extra superior animatronics of the Kiers and that one other was so desolate, those self same figures had been manufactured from brooms. (The video additionally revealed there are over 200 Lumon branches worldwide.)
- Irv reveals to Dylan that his outtie continued to color the identical hallway, again and again. A hallway that we briefly see in the beginning of the episode, as Ms. Casey takes the ominous elevator.
- Lastly, watching the episode again, I feel Helly remains to be her innie however is simply too ashamed to disclose the reality about her outtie. She offers a short look to Irv after they’re nonetheless within the break room and later, when discussing Ms. Casey with Mark, appears very adamant that innies and outties are completely different. We’ll see how that every one performs out.
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