WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 2!Britt Lower gets to brilliantly showcase her range throughout Severance’s main characters get significant screen time throughout season 2. After a brief glimpse at MDR’s Outies in the season 1 finale, season 2 introduces Irving, Dylan, and Helly/Helena’s lives outside Lumon in more depth, creating a captivating challenge for the actors balancing their complex roles.

In Severance season 1’s ending, it was revealed that Helly R.’s outie was none other than Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan, who opted to undergo the procedure as a PR stunt to spread Lumon propaganda about severance, to make her father proud, and falsely dispel complaints of subjugation and control. Ultimately, Helly hates her Outie, while Helena doesn’t even regard Helly as a person with feelings and autonomy. Now, as both reel in the aftermath of Helly’s speech at the gala, Britt Lower steps into Severance season 2’s most complicated and nuanced role.

Britt Lower Is Incredible Playing Severance Season 2's Villain & Hero

Helly & Helena Are Two Completely Different Roles For Lower To Be Playing

Britt Lower arguably has the most challenging role to play in Severance season 2. While she predominantly portrayed the likable, rebellious, humorous Helly R. throughout Severance season 1, the actress had to put on a completely different face when briefly playing Helena Eagan, the ruthless, power-hungry, yet approval-seeking and neglected daughter of Lumon’s CEO. With how different the two characters, their motivations, and social aptitudes are from one another, Lower does an incredibly convincing job eliciting the subtleties that make Helly and Helena appear to be two completely distinct people.

While each Innie and Outie in Severance differs in certain ways, most are still very similar in broad strokes. The difference is that the Innies’ personalities and demeanors get to be the versions of the Outies that aren’t hindered or informed by their traumas, insecurities, and social and personal struggles. Helly is a version of Helena that can’t be realized in the outside world; that rebellious, witty, and irably headstrong nature of Helly lives deep within Helena, but the constraints of her social standing and upbringing as an Eagan family member make it seemingly impossible to get out.

Helly resents Helena for being the one responsible for her own and all Innies’ subjugation, torment, and oppression.

In many ways, Helena is jealous of Helly and the person who she gets to be with Mark, Irving, and Dylan in Lumon’s Macrodata Refinement department. It makes her resent her Innie, whereas Helly resents Helena for being the one responsible for her own and all Innies’ subjugation, torment, and oppression. Flipping from scene to scene, Britt Lower is tasked with playing Severance’s harsh and apathetic villain Helena Eagan as well as the show’s compelling Lumon-defying hero Helly R., giving her quite the challenge to portray two people who hate each other, but are also technically still the same person.

Britt Lower's Role Is The Only One That Truly Creates Hope For Outies & Innies Being Different

Reintegration Would Destroy Helly & Helena

When Severance season 2, episode 2 explores the lives of the Outies, it’s clear that Irving, Dylan, and Mark would all be able to see parts of themselves in their Innies. Still, their Innies might be both jealous or frustrated with their Outies based on the opportunities they have or haven’t seized, such as Irving’s Outie being alone and not with Burt, Dylan’s Outie having a family that he loves but struggling with his self-confidence and ambition, and Mark’s Outie having a family who loves him but still being unable to climb out of his grief and allow himself happiness.

Meanwhile, if you put Helly R. in front of Helena, they wouldn’t even recognize one another. Helena doesn’t think Helly is a person who should have rights, and Helly thinks Helena is a greedy, power-hungry, heartless executive devoid of empathy. After Helly lies about her Outie’s identity in Severance season 2, episode 1, she’s adamant that they’re not the same and they owe nothing to their Outies. Whereas reintegration of Innies and Outies might be an easier process for Mark, Dylan, and Irving, it would be cataclysmic for Helly and Helena to fight for control in their own body.

Britt Lower Still Makes Helena Eagan A Sympathetic Character

Helena's Background Keeps Her From Becoming Helly

Though Helena Eagan is presented as a villain in Severance season 2, Lower’s performance is still effective in eliciting audience sympathy. Whether it be Jame being disappointed and calling Helena a “fetid moppet,” Helena rewatching the footage of Helly and Mark’s kiss over and over, or Helena’s position and power clearly being undermined, it’s difficult to see how emotionally neglected, insecure, and manipulated she is. It’s no wonder she underwent Severance’s procedure; at least part of her gets to be someone completely unaffected by the weight of the expectations and loneliness put upon her by her family and company.