Severance premiered in 2022 and made a lasting impression that had fans wondering if they would ever get a second season. Well, after a long awaited three years, Severance premiered with a new season in January 2025. Severance follows the lives of four people who have decided to severe their mind to live a life where they have an innie, a version of themselves that works a nine to five job, and an outie, the other version of themselves that lives in the real world with memories of their lives. The innie is unaware of anything that is happening outside the office and their minds are swiped at the entry and exit of the Lumon offices.
Severance is unlike any drama on television right now. It is an intense, introspective look at the mind of a human in a unique way. Even an avid lover of the show would need to go back and rewatch some episodes or even reacquaint themselves with some of the best scenes of the series. Not only is the entire series one to watch for a refresher, some scenes just need more justification, or they are just that good that they need to be seen again. Finding out what Mark S. (Adam Scott), Helly R. (Britt Lower), Irving B. (John Turturro), and Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) are doing daily inside the Lumon offices gets more complicated than any viewer could have possibly known.
10
The Oozing Black Paint
Season 1, Episode 2, “Half Loop”
Irving begins to have instances of his outie’s subconscious invading his innie’s mind. He starts to see black paint oozing down the inside of his cubicle and has to be taken to the Wellness Center where Ms. Casey (Dichen Lachman) tells him a few qualities his outie possesses. This is the first time the audience sees one of the innies learning about their outside selves. This is crucial to the plot because viewers know that Lumon tries to keep that information closed to their workers. But Irving gets to learn a few qualities without asking questions about any of them.
This is the first time the audience sees one of the innies learning about their outside selves.
Audiences soon learn that this will not be the last time to see one of the team members get this wellness treatment. It is all very interesting to watch just how much and how specific the information revealed to the innies gets. This is an early episode in the series, so it is just something to add to the characters’ storyline for viewers. But, eventually, it becomes more important as the plot unfolds.
9
“Do I know you?”
Season 1, Episode 6, “Hide and Seek”
The main piece of this series is understanding what it means to be severed and who can be severed. In “Hide and Seek’ Devon (Jen Tullock) is taking a walk in the park with her baby when she sees a woman she’s met before. She waves at the woman who is also holding a baby from afar, but the woman does not wave back. When Devon reaches her, the woman is still confused as to who she is, even after Devon explains where they met. The woman’s husband comes over to meet them, but quickly gathers their other children and leaves. Devon finds this odd.
If people on the outside can be severed, does that mean the innies may have a chance to live outside their respective units inside the Lumon offices?
This moment makes audiences question: Can outies be severed too? It seems like they can and this brings up a new level of concern and ethical meaning to the severed process. If people on the outside can be severed, does that mean the innies may have a chance to live outside their respective units inside the Lumon offices? The woman on the outside was severed so that she could not feel the pain of childbirth. It’s an interesting reason to be severed and questions what lengths Lumon will go through to get people to be severed.
8
“Ms. Casey?”
Season 1, Episode 9, “The We We Are”
After finding out the identity of Mark’s wife, audiences finally get to see Mark’s reaction to the realization that his wife Gemma is Ms. Casey. This was one of the most anticipated scenes because of how catastrophic for Mark this moment could be. Ms. Casey is Lumon’s Wellness Center director on the severed floor of Lumon. She is the person who speaks with Irving in Episode 2 and the same person tasked with watching Helly after she is found in the elevator. Mark’s realization comes at the best time of the series and is one of the reasons audiences were excitedly waiting for Season 2.
This was one of the most anticipated scenes because of how catastrophic for Mark this moment could be.
The cliffhanger of Severance‘s first season is so well done. The ending with multiple shots of each Lumon MDR severed team member is shown in a crucial moment right before they are brought back from the real world. After finally seeing a picture of his wife, Mark’s innie vigorously runs down his sister’s hallway towards her. He reaches her and the last shot before the screen goes black is of him yelling out, “She’s alive!”
7
“What is it, exactly, that we do here?”
Season 1, Episode 3, “In Perpetuity”
One of the most bizarre, yet greatest mysteries of Season 1 is figuring out what the people who work in MDR actually do in the building the entire day. The severed floor is separate from the other floors in the Lumon building and the severed people that work on it are not able to leave or enter the floor with any memories of their two selves. In Episode 3, Helly finally has a chance to do her job as she finally sees the scary numbers that Dylan has been telling her about.
The team does not know exactly what it is they do at Lumon, but they think its helping to scrape the data clean.
The best part of rewatching this scene is understanding that the purpose of what the people in MDR do is still a mystery. The team does not know exactly what it is they do at Lumon, but they think its helping to scrape the data clean. However, it’s a fun mystery to wonder if the numbers they are actually scraping are purposeful or if it is just something they are doing while being a part of this huge scheme Lumon has brewing.
6
Helly Meets the CEO of Lumon
Season 1, Episode 9, “The We We Are”
When the team finds a way to let their innies step into the real world, Helly finds out that she is not only working for Lumon, but she is the daughter of the CEO. As Helena Eagon, she was a willing participant in offering up herself to be severed and has been encouraging others to do so as well. Helly has to give a speech at the gala as Helena, and she asks to be forgiven for the harm she has done to the world before she gives the speech. Her speech reveals more than anyone expected it to and sets audiences up with many questions about where this will take Helena and Helly R. next.
Helly has to give a speech at the gala as Helena, and she asks to be forgiven for the harm she has done to the world before she gives the speech.
This scene, much like most of the series, is perfectly directed and acted. The tension between Helly and Mr. Eagon (Michael Siberry), as he asks her about how she’s feeling and raving about the future of the world, is eerily uncomfortable. Audiences can tell from this first encounter, Helena and her father have a strained relationship. Though they seem to discuss situations about the company and can put on a facade, the way he speaks to her is not one that seems warm and comforting. It is a moment to note for future episodes in discovering the true nature of Helena.
5
“Let me speak to my outie!”
Season 1, Episode 4, “The You You Are”
Early on, we see that Helly is not one to sit and wait for something to happen and then take action. She came in fiery and ready to make whatever moves she needed to get out of Lumon.
After constantly being manipulated into staying at Lumon, Helly had enough of the games. She marches into Ms. Cobel’s (Patricia Arquette) office and demands a video message be sent to the outie in hopes that it will help her be released from the severed floor.
After constantly being manipulated into staying at Lumon, Helly had enough of the games.
Britt Lower brings such a unique experience to the character of Helly and seeing her being bold with the supervisors at Lumon makes audiences love her character so much. At the time, Helly’s personality could’ve been indicative of what her outie might be like. While everyone else seems different on the outside, this scene is a good one to keep in the back of viewers’ minds for when Helena is revealed after receiving the video.
4
Who is Charlotte?
Season 1, Episode 8, “What’s for Dinner?”
In one of the opening scenes of “Hide and Seek”, audiences see Ms. Cobel is having a breakdown in her shrine. She has just been fired from Lumon and is now outside the building. Cobel lost all control of what she was trying to do inside Lumon and her superiors did not enjoy the fact that she was hiding information from them. The scene deserves a rewatch because of the information that is continuously seen during it.
Cobel lost all control of what she was trying to do inside Lumon…
The scene reveals a lot about Ms. Cobel that we did not know prior to the lengthened viewing of the shrine. We had seen the hospital band with the name ‘Charlotte’ on it before, but it wasn’t for so long. The newspaper clippings on the wall and the candles show us that she may still have ties to her mother’s Catholic background. It’s an interesting scene that makes viewers think what more there is to this woman who had so much power at Lumon.
3
Who is Reghabi?
Season 1, Episode 7, “Defiant Jazz”
Though most of this scene is done in a dark setting and introduces new characters, it is definitely one of the most important scenes in the mystery of figuring out how much Lumon can do. In Season 1, Episode 7 “Defiant Jazz”, Mark meets Reghabi (Karen Aldridge) and they go to talk, away from Lumon’s listening ears.
In the middle of their conversation, Graner (Michael Cumpsty) finds them and Reghabi murders him. During this entire scene, Reghabi reveals so much about her time at Lumon and how she was in charge of the reintegration process that Petey (Yul Vazquez) went through. As audiences continue to piece together answers about the reintegration process and Lumon, it’s easy to go back to this scene and try to fill in clues.
2
Defiant Jazz
Season 1, Episode 7, “Defiant Jazz”
Helly R. receives the Music Dance Experience for reaching 75 (73%) and it gives viewers one of the best scenes to ever grace a television show in many years. Milchick’s dancing in particular is the star of the moment and makes a very major impression. Dylan, on the other hand, does not find time to stop and celebrate with the rest of the team and is instead having memories of his son calling out “Daddy!” to him. As Milchick dances around him, Dylan snaps. He screams, “What does it mean?,” while launching himself onto Milchick. He bites him and effectively ends the Music Dance Experience. Dylan reveals to the others what the overtime contingency is and how they can wake up and see their outies lives.
While this is one of the best scenes of season one because it deviates slightly from the original tone of the series, it is also an important one. The viewers see how Lumon often provides rewards when someone is getting too close to something or when things are getting out of Lumon’s control. The Music Dance Experience is another way to do that and because of what Dylan has just discovered, he can’t enjoy this moment. It also gives MDR some levity about how they will proceed forward with finding more out about what Lumon is hiding.
1
The Waffle Party
Season 1, Episode 8, “What’s for Dinner?”
Dylan gets the waffle party that has been long awaited. This scene is probably the strangest scene next to the Music Dance Experience. Lumon often offers joy in the weirdest ways and this surprise for Dylan is no different. When he gets the waffles they are not all they’re hyped up to be and then there is a strange message after he finishes them. When he follows along with the message, he ends up in a room where he is in a creepy mask and sitting in a chair for a show. The show is about other people in masks dancing in provocative ways. The entire experience is unsettling and makes the audience wonder how this is something Lumon would approve.
Each scene and close-up shot of Severence should be rewatched for further examination.
While this is an impossible scene for someone who isn’t sitting right in front of it, it does serve a purpose. Each scene and close-up shot of Severence should be rewatched for further examination. There is always a chance that something could come back up in a scene that will make it more significant than one realizes. This is that kind of scene. It’ss weird and it’s a little raunchy, but an image from an earlier episode makes this scene kind of make sense.
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