WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Severance season 2, episode 1!Alongside some familiar faces back at Lumon, Severance’s returning character Seth Milchick, with a few new faces also greeting him in the Macrodata Refinement Department. In addition to Helly, Dylan, and Irving’s brief replacements in MDR (Gwendolyn, David, and Mark W.), Mark is introduced to the young Miss Huang (Sarah Bock), a new supervisor on the severed floor.

When Miss Huang arrives in Severance season 2, episode 1, she brings a red ball to the kitchenette, which she uses to get the new Macrodata Refinement Department staff to learn more about each other. During this game, Miss Huang is frequently asked about her age and “why she’s a child,” to which she bluntly responds, “Because of when I was born.” Considering Miss Huang looks young enough that she should realistically be in school rather than working at Lumon, her role in Severance season 2 adds another unsettling layer to Lumon’s peculiar policies and hiring strategies.

Miss Huang Is Milchick's Replacement In Severance Season 2

Miss Huang Is The New Deputy Manager Of The Severed Floor

With Patricia Arquette’s Harmony Cobel having been fired from Lumon after Severance season 1’s ending, the company has replaced her and promoted Mr. Milchick to the severed floor manager position. That left an opening for Milchick’s old role, with Miss Huang then being hired as the new deputy manager of the severed floor. Like Milchick did back in Severance season 1, Miss Huang will be responsible for much of the day-to-day oversight, activities planning, and interactions with the severed employees.

Also among the new characters in Severance season 2 is Gwendoline Christie's Lorne, another Lumon employee.

Miss Huang taking over as the deputy manager in Severance season 2 also means that she’ll be forced to obey the commands and duties assigned by Milchick, regardless of whether she agrees with him. In Severance season 1, Cobel and Milchick often disagreed about how to manage the severed employees, such as when Cobel would continue to place Mark and Ms. Casey/Gemma in the same room together, but, as the deputy, the latter still had to carry out her orders.

In Severance season 2, episode 1, Miss Huang reveals that it’s her first day on the job as the new deputy manager. Therefore, it’s unclear who was in charge of that role during the four-month gap between Severance season 1’s ending and Mark’s return to the Macrodata Refinement Department. MDR isn’t the only severed department at Lumon Industries that would need management, such as Optics and Design, so it’s curious as to why Lumon chose for Miss Huang’s first day to coincide with Mark S.’s first day back.

Miss Huang Looks To Only Be About 14-15 Years Old In Severance

Sarah Bock Was Only About 16 When Severance Season 2 Started Filming

Unsurprisingly, the characters who meet Miss Huang in Severance season 2, episode 1 are immediately taken aback by her age. Miss Huang’s age isn’t directly given in Severance’s season 2 premiere, but her demeanor and appearance suggest that she’s a young teenager, perhaps only about 14 or 15 years old. She’s certainly the youngest employee who has been seen at Lumon Industries in Severance to date; most of the employees’ ages so far seem to have fallen between people in their mid-30s and their late-70s, the latter of which being around when Burt G. retired in Severance season 1.

According to Severance season 2’s filming began in October 2022, the production process was occasionally shut down by the writers and actors strikes between May 2023 and January 2024. Consequently, filming didn’t end until April 2024. It’s unclear exactly how old Bock was when filming all of her scenes, but she would have been 16 when filming started and 17 when it ended. Regardless, given her actor’s age and the attention paid to the character’s age, Miss Huang can’t be older than about 16.

Is Miss Huang Severed? Why Lumon Can Have Children As Employees

Miss Huang Is Likely Part Of A Youth Initiative For Lumon

While it’s certainly strange and bleak that Lumon is hiring children to work in their offices full-time in supervisor positions, it’s unlikely that Miss Huang underwent Severance’s titular procedure. Neither Harmony Cobel nor Seth Milchick are severed, as Lumon wanted non-severed employees to be in charge of overseeing the activities and management of the Innies. As such, Miss Huang can’t be severed, as she’s now taking on a crucial part in trying to “perfect” severance and avoid further uprisings from Innies.

If the istration team is also severed, then there’s a bigger risk of pushback and defiance that would trickle down to every level. Plus, there’s little that Lumon could immediately do on the severed floor if something went wrong with all their severance chips. Those who are managing the severed employees have to already be indoctrinated by Lumon’s mission and ideals before taking on the job, as they’re the ones who have to be strict on the Innies and convince them that Lumon is benevolent and only serving in the interest of the greater good.

Still, it’s not clear why a child would want to work as the new deputy manager of the severed floor, or even why Lumon would want someone so young in that position. Since Miss Huang should realistically be in school during those hours rather than at work, it’s likely that her role is part of a new youth initiative with Lumon. Perhaps Miss Huang’s parents have important positions with Lumon, or had signed her up for this Lumon initiative while foregoing a normal education.

If Miss Huang is placed in Lumon-sanctioned schooling, then the company could excuse her role as the deputy manager of the severed floor as an educational experience. Her hiring could also be a way for Lumon to prove that careers with the company can start earlier than society expects people to work, which allows Severance’s Eagan family and other Lumon executives to indoctrinate and shape the next generation into fervent ers of their mission – whether severed or not.

Regardless of what Lumon’s true intentions are with Miss Huang, her powerful role is incredibly bleak.

If Miss Huang proves to be a “success story,” then Lumon will be able to convince more parents to make their teens start working at the company rather than pursue higher education or careers elsewhere. When Helly woke up as Helena Eagan in Severance’s season 1 finale, she found out that the company intended to expand severance into all aspects of life and to all people, and Miss Huang’s role may be part of Lumon’s plan to get more teens involved with the company. Regardless of what Lumon’s true intentions are with Miss Huang, her powerful role is incredibly bleak.

The Real Meaning Behind Miss Huang Being A Child In Severance Season 2

Miss Huang May Be A Child, But Her Position Of Power Is Terrifying

Another reason for Miss Huang being hired on the severed floor due to her age deals with Lumon trying new strategies to avoid pushback from Innies. If a child is the one overseeing Severance's Innies, then they might feel less intimidated by and more trusting of the deputy manager than if the person were an adult. Miss Huang would seem much more innocent to the Innies, and they’d be less likely to believe that she has bad intentions or seeks to manipulate the severed team.

Additionally, Miss Huang being a child gives Lumon more leverage against the claims that they’re tormenting and subjugating Innies. The general population wouldn’t be as eager to believe that a child could be responsible for tormenting a group of grown adults or violating their rights. It allows Lumon to still enact the same oppressive policies with a better shield against backlash, perhaps pushing more of the blame of unhappiness onto the Innies themselves rather than the istration. Furthermore, her age might make Severance’s Innies less afraid of her – when, in reality, they should be even more terrified.

Source: IMDb