Apple TV+'s Severance's cast of characters is outside or inside work.

In Severance season 1's finale, Dylan successfully enables the Overtime Protocol, allowing Mark, Helly, and Irving to have their innie personalities activated in the outside world. The trio discovers revelatory information about the lives of their respective outies, while Harmony and Milchick - two of Lumon's mysterious authoritative figures - find a way to stop Dylan and shut down the wayward innies' plans. Through this story, Severance's season finale lays to rest several theories while raising many other unanswered questions. This paves the way for Severance season 2's story thanks to the season 1 ending's major twists, cliffhangers, and revelations.

What Gemma Being Alive As Ms. Casey Means For Mark & Lumon Industries

The Reveal That Gemma Is Ms. Casey Is The Biggest Reveal Of Severance Season 1

The basis of Mark's character in Severance season 1 surrounds the death of his wife. Mark believed his wife to have ed away, and even underwent the severance procedure as a way to deal with his grief. Through severance, 50% of Mark's life will be lived without the overwhelming sadness that his wife is dead. However, Severance season 1's biggest theory resulted in a major twist when it was revealed that Mark's wife Gemma is alive, only working for Lumon as the severed Ms. Casey, Lumon's wellness counselor.

This revelation could serve as the beginning of Lumon Industries' downfall...

In the final scene of Severance season 1, innie Mark screams to Devon, outie Mark's sister, "She's alive!" Mark is holding Gemma's picture when this happens, and he had previously told his sister about what happens in Lumon's shady Severed Floor. Through these elements, there might be enough clues for outie Mark and Devon to start piecing together the puzzle that is Lumon Industries. This may also lead to outie Mark learning his wife is alive and being kept inside Lumon permanently.

The revelation that Mark's wife Gemma is still alive as Ms. Casey could have huge implications for the story of Severance season 2. This plot point could serve as the beginning of Lumon Industries' downfall. If what Lumon did to Gemma and Mark is made public, that being their separation and seemingly permanent imprisonment of Gemma via severance, the company's campaign for promoting the severance procedure could be derailed indefinitely. This would put a stop to Jame Eagan's plans of turning everyone into the work children of Severance's Lumon founder Kier Eagan.

Why Helly/Helena Eagan Got Severed

The Identity Of Helly's Outie Is Another Major Reveal In Severance Season 1's Ending

Concerning Helly, Severance season 1 focuses on her status as the newest severed member of Lumon. Helly is shown having a difficult time coming to with her new employment, going as far as to try and escape and even hang herself. Helly does not believe that her outie would wish this upon herself, even prompting her outie to record a video, insisting that she needs to continue working as a severed Lumon employee. In Severance season 1's ending, this entire storyline comes into much clearer focus.

Innie Helly tells the crowd at the Lumon gala of the subjugation and torment of the innies, teasing consequences for the company in Severance season 2.

The show's ending confirms the long-standing theory that Helly is Severance's Helena Eagan, daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan. Severance's season 1 finale reveals that Helena underwent severance as a PR move to endorse the mass use of the procedure in American society. By allowing herself to get severed, Helena aims to show the world that it is both safe and worthwhile. However, innie Helly manages to upend Helena's plans by sabotaging her speech. Innie Helly tells the crowd at the Lumon gala of the subjugation and torment of the innies, teasing consequences for the company in Severance season 2.

Do Burt & Irving's Outies Know Each Other?

Burt & Irving's Storyline Is A Highlight Of Severance Season 1's Ending

In the Severance season 1 finale, John Turturro's Irving uses his time as an awakened outie to seek Burt. Burt, played by Christopher Walken, is a member of the optics and design department of Lumon. Throughout season 1, the two form a close bond, leading Irving to try and find Burt on the outside to either solidify their relationship or alert Burt's outie to the dangers his innie faces under Lumon's employment. Severance season 1's final moments show Irving banging on the door of Burt's home in Kier Town.

How Irving's outie will react to Burt remains to be seen, and it is currently unclear whether the two Severed workers know each other in the outside world...

However, before Burt can answer, Milchick tackles Dylan, meaning Irving's innie will disappear, and his outie will awaken in front of Burt's house. Before this, Burt was shown living happily with another partner. How Irving's outie will react to Burt remains to be seen, and it is currently unclear whether the two Severed workers know each other in the outside world. That said, a common theory is that Burt and Irving are a real couple, explaining their intimate connection as innies and indicating an affair, as Burt seems to already have a partner in Severance season 1's episodes.

Why Mrs. Selvig/Harmony Cobel Tried To Stop The Innies

Cobel's Severance Season 1 Ending Could Hint At Her Loyalties

Throughout Severance season 1, Harmony Cobel is depicted as the show's antagonist. Cobel is the authoritarian boss of the severed workers at Lumon, with her outie - Mrs. Selvig - living next door to Mark's outie. Selvig is a mysterious character, with her motivations often unclear. She is often shown trying to stop the innies from causing trouble as a steadfast believer in Lumon's way of life.

That said, one common fan theory has raised evidence to suggest that Cobel/Mrs. Selvig is actually on the side of Lumon's workers. Most of these hints can be found in Severance season 1, episode 8 "What's for Dinner?"

In this episode, Cobel is fired from Lumon for hiding things from the board, such as Helly's suicide attempt. Cobel was also genuinely happy and ive of Mark's decision to quit Lumon. However, in the finale, she rushes to stop Dylan in the security room and Helly's innie from speaking at the Lumon PR event, even calling Milchick in her desperation. One possible motivation for this is that Cobel sees the incident as a quick way to get back into Lumon's good graces by protecting their severance procedure, continuing the disturbing real-world Severance parallels.

On the other hand, Cobel could well be an ally of the innies and worried about the potential brain damage that comes with the prolonged use of the Overtime Protocol or removing severance, as was shown to negatively affect former worker Petey. This would be consistent with Cobel's interest in Mark and Gemma's interactions, Petey's reintegration, and the other effects of the severance chip that Cobel intentionally hid from the board. In any case, Severance season 2's many theories could be true and reveal whether Harmony is more loyal to Lumon or the exploited innies of the show.

How Will Milchick Punish Dylan And The Other Macrodata Refiners?

Some Punishments Will Lie In Store For Severance Season 2

Besides Cobel, Milchick served as the other antagonist of Sevarance season 1. Milchick was often the man responsible for keeping the innies in line during work hours, with Severance showing at length what happens in the Break Room when the workers misbehave. Unfortunately for the innies, this new offense by the Macrodata Refinement Department surely warrants a much more severe, graver punishment. Lumon's response to the incident is likely to involve both the elevator to the mysterious deeper levels of the building and the different unexplained protocols of the severance chip.

Apart from Overtime, these protocols are Beehive, Branch Transfer, Clean Slate, Elephant, Freeze Frame, Glasgow, Goldfish, Lullaby, and Open House. Based on context clues alone, the erring employees could soon face getting their memories erased, being reprogrammed, transferred to other departments, or possibly even frozen in suspended animation until their innie's next assignment. Whatever the punishment will be, it is bound to show darker things about Lumon - and Milchick - in Severance season 2.

Is Irving's Father Connected To Lumon Industries?

Irving's Outie Life Could Hint At Much Deeper Connections To Severance

Aside from his relationship with Burt, Irving's role in Severance's season 1 finale includes many other reveals. One such reveal is found by Irving's innie at his outie's home. It is highlighted that Irving's father was a well-decorated Navy veteran, as evidenced by Irving's father's uniform, picture, and the various medals that hang on the wall. Some of these medals could even be Irving's, hinting he had previous employment with the Navy after following in his father's footsteps.

The military – or at least the U.S. Navy – could have been involved in the earliest severance procedures.

Another reveal from Irving's home is that - apart from repeated paintings of the mysterious elevator from Lumon - Irving's outie has also been gathering information on the company's workers. Other than the fact that Irving is actively attempting to infiltrate Lumon in some capacity, this implies that his father could have something to do with Lumon's history.

The military – or at least the U.S. Navy – could have been involved in the earliest severance procedures. Just as severance helps Mark process the trauma of his wife's death, Lumon could have severed combat veterans as an experimental treatment for PTSD.

Every Theory Severance's Season 1 Ending Confirms

Severance Season 1's Finale Saw Fan Speculation Come True

As evident, Severance season 1's ending is packed with twists, turns, and reveals. Several of these reveals were the subject of fan theories as Severance season 1 was airing on Apple TV+, with the finale providing vindication for the theorists. For one, Helly's real identity as Helena Eagan is the biggest revelation in the Severance season 1 finale and was also one of the more prevalent theories.

One theory that was not addressed in season 1's ending was the true meaning of Severance's numbers which are the subject of the innie's work.

Similarly, the longer glimpse into Irving's outie life also confirms the theory that, despite his fierce loyalty to Kier Eegan and the founder's ideals on the inside, Irving's outie is not so steadfast in his devotion. The various reveals from Irving's home, such as the paintings of the elevator that goes further down into Lumon's basement and the extensive notes on the locations of Lumon's severed employees, confirm the theory that Mark may not be the only outie investigating Lumon's ulterior motives and shady business practices.

Finally, another theory that was confirmed by Severance season 1's ending concerned the character of Gabby. Gabby was introduced earlier in Severance season 1 as someone connected to Devon, Mark's sister. Several hints were included in the show that Gabby, the wife of Lumon-backed senator Angelo Arteta, had been severed to avoid the pain of childbirth. In Severance season 1's ending, Gabby outright mentions that she was severed at Lumon's PR event, raising major questions for Severance season 2 regarding the wider use of the procedure.

What Severance's Cast & Crew Have Said About Season 1's Ending

The Creatives Behind Severance Have Been Open About Season 1's Finale

Since Severance season 1's ending in 2022, the cast and crew have the show have spoken about the various reveals and twists it presented. Concerning why the showrunners decided to end Severance season 1 at that specific cliffhanger, Entertainment Weekly managed to glean some answers from Dan Erickson. Erickson stated that he and other Severance creators had long discussions and multiple potential endpoints for season 1. Erickson revealed that it was actually director Ben Stiller who suggested that Severance's season 1 ending coincides with the in-universe ending of the Overtime Protocol:

I was like, "Okay, people are gonna be mad!" But I think it's by far the most effective point where we could have ended this part of the story, storytelling-wise and for the characters. They've all finally gotten what they asked for, and it has raised all these new questions...

Speaking of Stiller, the actor-director spoke to IndieWire about finding the balance between Severance season 1's ending and season 2's beginning. Stiller states that he hopes the first season has enough mini-answers to keep fans hooked while making it clear that the entire story of the show is yet to come into focus. This hints at major developments in Severance season 2. Erickson echoed this sentiment when speaking to Esquire, stating that "we wanted this cliffhanger episode to be the moment where we finally get to hit the ground and go, go, go."

The show's creators are not the only people who have commented on Severance season 1's ending, with actor Adam Scott speaking to Variety about the journey of his character. Scott recalled how everything had been slowly building to the moment the innie workers were awakened in the outside world. Scott also stated that, when he read the script, he could not believe his character gave away his identity by referring to Mrs. Selvig as Cobel before recounting the steps he and the crew took to get the climactic moments of the ending right.

How Severance's Ending Sets Up Season 2

Severance Season 2 Will Build On Season 1's Mysterious Story

Severance season 2 has been officially green-lit by Apple TV+ and, while the production has been somewhat troubled, it finally arrives in January 2025. Although time will tell how season 2 will end, it stands to reason that it will begin with the Macrodata refiners' outies scrambling to react to what their innies have done. In the meantime, Lumon's board is bound to make big changes to the severed floor.

Severance's co-creators Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman had a falling out in season 1, casting doubt over season 2. House of Cards creator and Andor writer Beau Willimon was brought on board to aid production in light of this.

Each of the many massive reveals from Severance season 1's ending will undoubtedly play a part in Severance season 2. From Gemma's fate as Ms. Casey to Helly's identity as a key advocate for severance, the show will grapple with the many different storylines at play. However, it will likely be a bumpy ride for the Lumon employees, as the company's retribution will surely be swift for almost being exposed as a morally corrupt workplace by Severance's tormented workers.

How The Severance Season 1 Ending Was Received

The Episode Has Been Hailed As One Of Television's Best

Severance was one of the most talked-about shows on television when the first season arrived, and while some hot shows can fall off as the season progresses, the ending of the first season solidified it as one of the best series on television. The AV Club called it a pitch-perfect finale for the first season and one that included many of the best elements of the show, from strangeness to dark humor, then leaving the audience with something truly special in the final moments:

This is a satisfying finale because it sprinkles answers throughout at a digestible pace. And then bam: Those last 10 minutes don’t hold back. Raise your hand if you also watched those final few scenes with your heart in your mouth.

Forbes also praised the ending as the ideal conclusion point for an amazing season of television, with their recap of the finale baring the impressive title, "The ‘Severance' Finale Cements It As One Of The Best New Shows In Recent Memory." However, this is a sentiment that has been shared not only by professional critics but also fans who watched week after week as the mysteries to Severance grew.

One Redditor also made the bold declaration that the finale was one of the best episodes of television of all time:

What a tense, rewarding, well-paced, theory-confirming, plot-expanding, jaw-on-the-floor, screaming-at-your-screen thrill ride of an episode to watch. I am floored. The audience didn’t get answers to all of this season’s questions, but we didn’t need them after everything this finale delivered—it was a near-perfect balance of closure/confirmation and mystery. I haven’t been this invested in a show in a while.

The Real Meaning Of The Severance Season 1 Ending

The Finale Confirms Lumon's Full Control

Severance season 1 builds this satirical yet thought-provoking story about the modern work world and how large corporations can view their employees. The show takes the idea of businesses controlling their employees to wild lengths with the innies unable to even escape their office life. The entire concept of the "severance" procedure presents it to the employees as way of escaping the 9-to-5 life. However, the Severance season 1 finale delivers the shocking reveal that total control out of their employees in the office is not enough for the corporation.

The revelation that Mark's presumably dead wife is alive and that the truth is being kept from him by Lumon shows that they seek to manipulate his world outside of the office as well. They seek to get as much work out of their innie as possible, but they also have found that controling the life of Mark's outie can make him a better employee. It reveals a new side of Lumon's evilness that goes beyond simple corporate greed.