Harmony Cobel may be an Innie who was allowed to take over her Outtie's life due to her intense loyalty. That's why she is, at times, clueless about real world things like how to manage ice on the porch (you use salt, not a blow dryer). Being a loyal Innie, she worships Kier Eagen at her little home shrine.
That's an awesome idea! Would certainly make sense as she's uutterly wacky, sinister and yet childlike on the outside and a more straightforward cut-throat corporate type adult in the office. Her outie is weirder than her innie, opposed to with everyone else who is or has been Severed. Good catch!
Okay, I watched this video 3 times and then switched to my laptop so I could properly react. First off! Nauti, my man, you do phenomenal work. Every video puts me into obsessed mode again. I've watched Severance countless times and might go again! Your editing and storytelling is great, and your voice is amazing. I'm sure you've been told but here I am telling you again. Second. The Helly Theory? THE GASP I GUSPED. I'm totally on board. It makes so much sense to me actually. The clues might seem subtle but that's the thing with Severance. Every frame and detail is SO intentional that it might very well be true. I feel like the show leans into conflict as an overarching theme a lot (with others, authority, your trauma, your past, YOURSELF) and this might be the perfect seed they've planted for Mark & Helly. (spoilers coming) Mark finding out Gemma's alive will most definitely lead him to investigate further, and I absolutely see Helly uncovering her outie's story along the way. And then the many references to alcohol? And the almost accident in the very first episode? And Cobel being weird/obsessed with Mark remembering Gemma/the accident? It might also be part of why she kept quiet about Helly's incident, as to keep her around (the dad's weird but powerful so he would've probably gotten her out of the program). Yup, I'm ON BOARD with Helly being the drunk driver for Gemma's accident! Paintings: 100% fear mongering. Agree. Man with funny moustache theory: I don't think Irving's some pawn in Lumon's set-up but I do think the characters know eachother as outies in ways we haven't seen yet. So it might be plausible for Mark to have had a one off therapy session with Irving. I won't stand to have Irving's mustache disparaged though. That is a fine mustache. I've never realized Helly's innie had to 'play' the daughter. Of course she only knows Jame Eagan as the big man at Lumon. Interesting. Haven't found a theory that satisfies me when it comes to Devon and Ricken. There's definitely a reason for that relationship and the... weirdness of it all. I love this show through and through. I was wondering if you have ever seen Mad Men? It is my favorite show and I think Severance is too, because I see similarities. They're in no means alike, but both have high production value and are very well written and intentional, playing on relatable themes in an odd setting. I highly recommend it (and of course, I would devour every video essay you would hypothetically make about it). Thank you again for putting in the work for these videos, it is appreciated!
Hey, thanks for the comment! I definitely agree with you that I don't think Irving is the mustachioed man Devon was speaking of and I 100% think we will find out that the MDR characters have connections outside of Lumon that they aren't aware of. Like you mentioned, there is intention in every word and line of this script so it's within reason to want to dissect everything we get and try to guess the answers ahead of time.
You are keeping me sane. After watching Season 1 for the second time, nearly a year later, my desire for more has been re-ignited. I know I’m a masochist.
I definitely think the painting/erasure theory is a great one. It’s clear based on the other settings we saw near the overtime contingency that they do have the ability to alter, pause, extend, erase, and reset innies memories. What a crazy twist it would be to find out that the severed folks (or some of them) had already been through some version of this before and been reset. And they could do it again to punish MDR for what they did. THAT said I reeeealllly hate memory erasure as plot device so I hope Severance does something else with it. ALSO congrats on 10k! Forgot to say it last video 😅
Yess this could explain why Irv’s subconscious mind remembers seeing the room they send Gemma to. Throughout the entire show we never see Irving go near that door. And in the beginning he was very by the book so why would he ever take the risk in the first place. The only thing that motivated his risk taking was the thought of falling in love. So based on context clues it seems Irving’s innie has never seen this room. At least the current version of Irving.
I was unemployed for a few months, during that time I saw Severance and now that I’m back to the work force I can’t stop seeing all the things that the corporate world does and that are pretty similar to Lumon hahahaha! I def have gone crazy!
I love this video! And that Helly theory is great! 🤩 I could just see it now… -Helly is driving under the influence, after a night out partying. She swerves into oncoming traffic, where Gemma is driving. -Gemma veers towards the side of the road, to avoid a collision but ends up crashing into the tree. -Helly gets out and checks on the driver. Gemma recognizes her as the ‘daughter of Lumen industries’ before passing out. -Fearful of getting into trouble (as well as bringing negative press to the company), Helly calls in fixers from Lumen and they do a cover-up. -Lumen has connections and plants in various areas, including at the hospital where Gemma is taken. -The plants are able to get access to Gemma, and she is abruptly severed. They then put her severed self into ‘lullaby’ mode to keep her from waking-up. -Once they have the opportunity, they fake Gemma’s death and take her body. -Helly goes into rehab afterwards and when she is clean, is made to become an employee for her father’s business which. - I believe she had been opposed to Lumen and severance for some time now- having had knowledge of the awful things that take place behind the scenes. Unable to deal with it (especially since as a child, she was so on board with everything) she began to use drugs as a coping mechanism. That’s my two cents about that. 😏 So many possibilities! If Helly *is* behind Gemma’s accident, that’s going to create some fantastic conflict with the Innie Helly & Mark situation. I love how wonderful this show is at foreshadowing, and how deliberate they are with dialogue and other details. That scene with Mark nearly hitting Helly with his car, takes on a whole new meaning if this theory is true. Also, maybe that is why Rugabi turned on Lumen. Maybe she couldn’t take knowing that Gemma and Mark were in this situation partly because of her? So many questions. 😩 I have to say, though, that this program is so amazingly unpredictable that I could also see none of that being the case, haha. 😂🤷🏾♀️ We shall see.
I believe Reghabi's interests are completely unrelated to Mark's situation. I mean he's part of it, but not exactly why she is working on reintegration.
@@MrBrno Yeah Reghabi didn't hesitate to hurt Graner, so it's unlikely she'll feel guilty about Mark and Gemma. She's unrelated to them and more of a scientist who's into reintegration, also is against Lumon for some reason. It's so far fetched thinking Reghabi gives a damn about Mark and Gemma.
Such a detailed theory! Helly causing Gemma's accident would make a lot of sense. I've been wondering how Gemma could've randomly hit a tree. It would make so much sense if she was swerving to avoid another car.
CAN WE ALSO SEE A THEORY ABOUT NATALIE she is so weird and I just cannot shake that shes gonna be important in the next season especially since shes the one who delivered to Harmony that she was let go and even gave reasons why I wouldve been scared saying reasons giving Harmony’s unsettling demeanor
I have a suspicion that "Radar" actually refers to the thing that Irving named his dog after. It's just really strange to refer to the "sound of radar". I love dogs, and I know a lot of dog people. I've never heard anyone talk about how they love the "sound" of their dog. Specific adorable noises, sure, but this wording seems intentional and strikes me as an odd way to talk about a dog.
I don't think when Gemma said that he "enjoys the sound of radar" that you should take that literally. They know his dog's name is Radar, so they're trying to see if just the name of his dog will elicit an emotional response, bc the point of the wellness checks are to make sure the severance is still fully in effect and working properly.
I feel like this was a hint that he left for himself. If they ask the outies things about their life to use, Irving could have left codes or hints for his innie in hopes of getting through to him.
I SWEAR bro. I haven’t been so unhealthy obsessed with a show in all of my 26 years lmao literally not a day’s gone by I didn’t at least once think about season 2 since I finished the first 😂
i’m on board with the irving one. it makes total sense since irving is implied to be involved with military somehow and maybe he could have some form of PTSD that pushes him to help others with other mental issues like mark’s grief? it really works in my head and also the mustache thing is a huge cue towards that
Maybe she lives alone? As far as we know she doesn't seem to have a family outside, and I mean a husband and children. And she also is the next in line so it wouldn't be weird for her to stay overnight at the company.
this show has so many little details that spark your imagination! i love the creativity of this fan base. thank you for sharing these theories in a balanced way!! i love your videos!
This is one of those shows, like Breaking Bad, that every single character is perfectly played and perfectly cast. On top of amazing writing and an amazing story overall.
If Outie Irving was trained as a Psychologist, that would explain why he's painting so much to get at and express his subconscious as a way to surface Innie impressions to the Outie; he'd have some understanding about how the brain works and how people can process suppressed emotions that cause them trouble. Explains a lot about the character. I'm in!
I believe Irving is definitely trying to bridge the gap between his innie and outie. there’s no other reason he’d be depriving himself of sleep and making lists of names. the names could be coming into his head like how innie burt has leakage of the paint
I was hoping more people would pick apart his wellness check facts. I think that's a really interesting and fitting theory too. He could have been and his espionage is after he had some time as a practicing psychiatrist.
@@poogissploogisI was thinking maybe Irving was a previous Lumon employee and then got severed, and the reason he's is so interested in the paintings is because he himself drew them.
Love these videos. I think that Harmony and Irving have a deeper connection. Brother and sister? They both have the same finishing school accent along with Ricken. There is definitely something going on there.
This is a great point! I've definitely found it interesting how prim and proper Cobel and Ricken speak. Cobel in particular has such a cartoonishly posh manner of speaking with lots of colorful metaphors and such.
I hope S2 will explain more about the wellness sessions. Where did they get these facts on the outies? Why is it so important that each fact be enjoyed 'equally'? What's the harm with smiling or reacting at all? Really intresting stuff! (PS: also have some suspicions on the use of soft music, dim ligthing, oil diffuser, and nature-like items in that wellness room. What are they really trying to do to the Innies in those sessions?]
I believe the point of the wellness sessions are to make sure the innies are still fully severed. They sprinkle in bits of truth about the outies lives to make sure these hints don't elicit an emotional response. Like when they tell Irv that his outie "loves the sound of radar" (they know his dog's name is Radar, so they want to see if there is any reaction to that word specifically. If not, the severance procedure is still most likely in full effect). Notice they make them go to a wellness check after something happens in the office that could be sparked by the severance procedure failing in at least one of the innies)
I know people think Marks outie and Devon will now know that his wife is alive because he shouted “She’s alive “ while holding Gemma’s picture. But I think that will be a letdown. I think he’s gonna drop that picture and people will assume that the she he’s referring to is the baby. Later in evening someone will pick up the picture , and wonder how it ended up on the floor.
I think you may be right, and maybe Devon will have this weird feeling like "what did he mean by that" and it may take a lot of the season for her to uncover
Thats definitely what will happen. They will all come back confused and eventually marks sister will see the picture, remember the conversation with marks innie and then start to piece it together. Helly could easily play off her mishap saying something quick as she is media trained and seems politically good with that. Iriving will come back a bit confused and start piecing things together. Ultimately Irving, the sister, and rigabi will be key to the outties getting in. Thats the theme next season its the outtie getting in.
I agree completely. I definitely think everyone is going to assume they're talking about baby Eleanor. It would add so much more to the suspense if they did not pick up on what Mark actually meant, at least not right away.
I'm rewatching the show and I noticed a couple of things about Cobel's behavior. We know towards the end of the season she tries to make him remember Gemma, even asks Devon if he said anything about her. Other interesting instances are when she talks about her mother to Mark, and it's like on purpose she says similarly worded but opposite things to him. But what I noticed today, is that she keeps messing up the recycling and trash as solveig. And in ep 3, Mark announces at work that someone keeps throwing trash into recycling. I'm thinking it could be cobel. Trying to create parallel memories for mark's innie and outie. Bc she wants him to reintegrate for some reason. We know she was happy to find out that Petey was reintegrated. Another thing is the blueprints of her husband's house. In ep 2 the scene cuts off before she shows them to Mark, and I used to think it's nothing. But it's possible she showed him Gemma's house from the testing floor, or kier's house. Something like that to encourage him to remember innie things.
The point about the artwork makes me think about how readily Dylan bit Milchick during the music and dance experience. Very similar to how people were ripping each other apart in the painting
How about instead of Irv being Marks therapist of some sort…maybe they met in a trauma /support group. It fits Irv being a “friend to the insane” and knowing Mark on the outside. It would seem normal for Mark to attend some sort of group therapy after his loss, and Irv for his PTSD
HEAR ME OUT: They are trying to bring back the Keagan's that have already passed. The goats are what they use to test cloning technology and they have already progressed to testing with humans. Gemma is a test case of human cloning and Cobel got the candle to see if the clones could recover their memories. Cobel is interested in this because she wants her mother back and wishes to have her with her memories fully restored. Now the macrodata refinement is something related to memories. I think they are separating memories so they can be fully controlled. Meaning, Lumon knows what the sad, fearful, happy memories are and they can select what memories they remember and this allows them to manipulate people, for example instilling fear in them. EDIT: I do also feel like Lumon targets certain people to bring in to go through severance, maybe people with emotional or physical traumas. Mark and Irving had emotional traumas (the loss of his wife and ptsd from the army maybe) and in Irving's outtie paper with other outies name at 10:17 you can see that there is a guy called Doug Coleman that went through a car accident and on the list there is also a divorced guy, so many they target these people to test if they can erase these bad memories or some kinda of therapy idk
The Helly theory is spot on. She’s so desperate to get back into her family’s good graces that she stays persistent even when her innie almost lips her. It’s almost like a self inflicted punishment in a way.
The fact we can use our imaginations to craft any number of possible stories highlights the beauty and genius of this show’s writing. Like a choose your own adventure. I want Severance the video game next. 😅
Just watched it recently for the first time. Episodes 7, 8, and 9 combined was better than any movie I've seen recently. Nine was amazing, but the build-up in 7 and 8 was great as well. Looking forward to season 2.
Just found your channel, watching these is helping ease the wait for season 2!! I'm not sure if this has been brought up/mentioned before but throughout the whole show there is a lot of aspects relating to children or birth (?) Mark's sister giving birth along with the severed people at the birthing cabins, a little more subtle but the caring for baby goats and bottle feeding them. In the Lexington letter too, she mentions how everything seemed like it was made for children. It's definitely a large part of the entire story but I'm wondering how it ties in to everything, I'm not sure if it's as simple as creating clones. Maybe Lumon is more interested in severing people from birth, but I'm not sure.
I recently started suspecting that severance isn’t actually location based. That Greer or someone watches when the elevator comes down and switches them over. That’d play well into the theory that Milchik and Cobel are permanently severed - they just don’t switch anymore. Like someone else said, they could both be permanent Innies with their Outties having no clue.
the main problem with the "helley killed gemma" theory is that mark had worked for lumon almost 2 years before helley got there, so if helley did feel guilty about the accident and wanted to forget it, she likely wouldve started the severence procedure much sooner
Two years? I thought it was one, but anyway: It's a PR-stunt and I find the explanation her family, probably her father, presented the opportunity to her or maybe even pressured her. I like the idea that she's really fucking lonely and did it out of boredom and loneliness better, though. Because why else do such an insane thing, really? Not like she needs the money. Furthermore, it'd be dramatic irony how she has real friends, something to fight for and even a love interest with her co-workers as Helly, when she might lack all those things as a super rich, but ultimately lonely (only that fake-ass bioootch Natalie was with her at the Gala, no gaggle of socialite friends clinging to her, no handsome-but-a-moron admirer/bf at her side, eh?) and deeply unhappy person as Helena. But let's say she did it feeling guilty for the accident, why would she choose to work with iMark? Helena clearly despises innies, even *if* it's just a convoluted form of self-hatred, she can't possibly think too much of other innies, no? Also, I'm pretty sure Erickson stated she ended up with MDR because that was the first vacant position to be filled (after Petey fled). That contradicts this theory the most strongly, unless we're willing to accept some 4D chess moves where Lumon was instructed by Helena to make Petey flee (while he's also freshly reintegrated, conveniently?), so she could fill in at MDR with Mark (whom she doesn't view as a person with all but certainty). While also not knowing, having no control over how she will treat Mark. No, that just doesn't make sense.
I think the person behind the speaker of the "Board" is not Jame. I think it is Kier, in the state of "revolving". That's why he only listens. Ms Cobel is very surprised when one time the Board responds with "yes". I don't know how he communicates with Natalie, though.
I've been thinking this too! I saw someone suggest that Lumon's overarching goal with severance and the possible experiments on Ms. Casey are to bring back Kier's consciousness, possibly sharing a body with Jame. Perhaps Jame is the one communicating with Natalie most of the time.
Nauty - your videos are excellent, I drop everything and watch when I see a new one is available. I love your analysis on all these Severence theories. S2 can’t come soon enough, because my 30th and 31st binges of S1 have not provided me with any enlightening answers to, or confirmations of, the theories I currently subscribe to. I like @wishing2fly’s theories that you addressed, however, I don’t buy that Harmony is anywhere remotely close to being confused by the time, or what day it is, or that her chip is malfunctioning. I don’t buy it because of a theory of my own, which I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone else talk about or show any evidence for, other than being casually mentioned. Having said that, if I missed any of your (or others!) videos that specifically discuss this, I’ll be happy to be lambasted by the rest of the innies here and go back to lurking in the corner. My theory - Lumon has been keeping Mark (and probably others) in ‘innie’ mode and at work for more than just a normal 8 hour, 9am-5pm (or 5:15, I know, they’re staggered) work day. But, to what end? I don’t know…it’s Lumon though, right? So ya know, just general shady shit? Maybe another theory interlocks like a puzzle piece with this one, but I think this is pretty solid. My evidence (and I’ve got receipts…time stamps, baby!). In Episode 1 - Good News About Hell, at 8 minutes and 54 seconds, the writers/editors seem to go to great lengths to show us Mark’s watch as he switches it out for the more plain/basic one that he’s allowed to wear on the severed floor. They seem to be pointing to it and basically screaming at us LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT THE WATCH. ITS IMPORTANT. Why else would they show us this in such a close-up? Why does the shot linger on the watch, and show alllllll the detail on it? On his way out of Lumon for the day, at 34 minutes and 40 seconds into the episode, they AGAIN show us the watch as he changes out the plain/basic one that he wears on the severed floor for the one he was wearing when he entered the building. To me, they’re almost saying, “SEE? DO YOU SEE THE WATCH? DO YOU GET IT??” Also, as Mark leaves the severed floor they show us several different clocks, looming on the walls. They each confirm that it is, in fact, quitting time. But that isn’t what’s being highlighted. There’s nothing abnormal about the time of the day, no, not what TIME it is. But what DAY it is. And what day IS it?? Mark goes into work at 9:05am on the 4th, and doesn’t leave work until 5:25pm on the 5th. Nothing in the episode suggests that multiple work days are being shown, and, in fact, the episode seems to neatly suggest that we have witnessed a single work day begin and end by the time the episode ends. Except for the EXTREMELY obvious hints/nods/nudges to the watch. Those cheeky writers have raised their eyebrows to us and said, “Hmmm? Did you catch that?” Its like they are intentionally leaving this clue for us. Bringing this back to @wishing2fly - this theory assumes that outie Mark is not aware that he’s been kept at work for longer than a work ‘day,’ which would mean that its actually Mark who would/could be confused by what day it is. This is supported by Mark getting upset/annoyed at Nanny Cobel when she puts her bins out on the wrong day. She didn’t though, HE did. She just plays dumb when they talk about it. Oops! Silly me! Clumsy Clara! I think she does it intentionally in order to test if outie Mark has even noticed what day it is. Maybe this is something that is outside of Lumon protocol, and she’s keeping him at work for her own reasons, and she’s checking to make sure whatever she’s been doing won’t be discovered. And isn’t his trash still in the barrel in the following episode(s)? Wouldn’t they have come to collect it already? No, because he completely missed trash day. Further evidence of Mark’s confusion of the day - on the night of the dinner that isn’t dinner with Rickon’s weird infantile groupie severed friends (what is up with them??), Devon shows up to Mark’s house to pick him up and bring him to the dinner, and he has no idea why she’s even there. “Did you forget?” Devon says to him. He takes a minute to think and then light dawns and he says, “oh, yeah,” after a long pause. You can see that he’s very confused. It seems like he does remember something about dinner, but, isn’t that tomorrow? Wait, that’s today? I guess I did forget. He would be easy to keep severed longer than normal because his outie is a grief stricken alcoholic, who would be less likely to notice that he’s missing days at a time. Devon seems disappointed and annoyed that he forgot about the dinner, as if this isn’t the first time, and that it happens frequently. Lumon does this frequently. Whatever this theory means, if true, I have no idea, and I will leave for the rest of the innies to discuss. I need to go freshen up my tinfoil hat.
We were discussing over here during our rewatch that it seems likely that some days, outies go to sleep, and they wake up, but a work day didn't happen in between. Perhaps they are taken to the testing floor, and with the various modes shown in episode 8, they're able to pause the innie's ability to form and keep memories. Who knows what's done to them? It's not out of the realm of imagination that they might keep some people for multiple days if they know something about their outie lives. Cobel e.g. is spying on Mark all the time. It would also explain how Irving seems to know the image of the special elevator that goes to the testing floor. Why else would he? He lives alone, so the main complication would be someone feeding and taking his dog on walks once in a while, which is a pretty small stretch for Lumon. If he has a doggy daycare or something, that would take care of that, especially if (like everything else in the town), Lumon has a connection with the doggy daycare.
I really beleive there was a coup in the past. But I don't think it was an inter-departmental conflict but a united front against management and Lumon as a whole. Management was able to spin the story to future employees as propaganda against the union (get it?). They were also able to punish MDR by downsizing their department and making OD believe MDR instigated the coup, thus their mistrust of MDR.
I think Milchick isn’t who he appears to be. I think he’s the reason Petey had that tape. In the one scene they made it a point to show that he put the little tape in his pocket. Seems like the company would have a different kind of recording apparatus. Maybe the tapes are his own recordings, or a group that he works with.
Awesome video! I love crazy theories - the crazier, the better. I’m totally on board with any Helly theories. There’s something so…wrong…about having her be severed. "Wrong" might not be the right word; perhaps it’s just more "off" than "wrong." Having your presumptive successor take part in something that you seem to know has major problems is wrong on so many levels. I do think Helly wasn’t participating in the Severance program of her own free will. I’m also very interested in the Devon character. There’s just no way she doesn’t have a much deeper involvement. There MUST be some connection between her and somebody else. Quite possibly Mrs. Cobell. There could be a connection to Irving, but a connection to Harmony seems more likely. Devon’s lifestyle is just so…out there, especially compared to Mark’s very mundane, normal "outie" life.
Helly acts definitely like a "boss kid", but "party girl" is a bit far fetched, Even if it could be used to create more drama further down the line, Helly's outie seems way to determined and concerned, about her innie's behavior, to be a "party girl".
You ever see how those rich kids act as teens/20's. They're wild, they have the money to do whatever they want and a lifetime of people saying yes and no consequences. The cliche of a frat guy that does something stupid and illegal getting off lightly is they're for a reason "do you know who my dad is?" As he's being arrested for drunkenly wraps his 100k car around a tree. There's even a term for it "affluenza" (it's a bs term, but I don't have enough money to hire a PR team to market against it).
I love the Irving theory! Not sold about Helly's involved with Gemma at all tho, and the drinks line I thought was referring to Helly looking weird as "not really herself"
I just watched the show for first time this week and wow what a ride. Now I’m getting caught up on all your videos and they are great. One thing I can’t stop wondering is, how many times can they partition someone’s mind? How many personalities can be in one person? And what else can the chip do that we are unaware of? That opens up all kinds of possibilities for next season.
Oh the party girl helly and hitting gemma makes so much sense, lays so much drama, the bit of Mark almost hitting her with his car becomes such cool foreshadowing, and it makes that perspective love triangle suuuuuper interesting
I have a new theory about Petey's map. I now think that the top of the diagram is (1) yet another lobotomy image. It looks like a large eye with the computer chip inside, right? Well, remember how I said before that the innie chip is placed behind the eye, right where a lobotomy would be done? And (2) it's a visual pun: "In my mind's eye". Meaning that humans don't see with our eyes, we see with our mind, and the chip behind the eye alters how these humans view the world. This makes me think that there are other visual puns in the drawings but maybe we don't know what they are yet.
Ohhh Helly hitting Gemma with the car is a great theory because it will create such a conflict later in the story, since Helly and Mark fall in love as innies but outtie Mark grieves his beloved wife heavily. When those 2 worlds colide....sheeeet.
I actually really like the Helena "killed" Gemma plotline. We know she's not dead, regardless if that's a clone or not, she absolutely has her memories. "They don't remember each other" even when Gemma lights her candle. Mark will definitely figure out Helly's identity, if she doesn't just outright tell him, and I'm assuming the drama there will be "you killed my wife and then kissed me? how much do you remember? We know higher ups aren't severed". Irving figured that out on his own without telling anyone. My assumption would be if anyone Irving will be the one trying to convince Mark not to trust Helly. Also I like the idea of Lumen, since it's a company town, deep dives on people living there and finds people with certain talents, and makes them so desperate to forget *something* (dead dad, dead wife, whatever Dylan's got going on) they start working for them. Mark was a history professor and Gemma was a professor of Russian Literature, maybe there's something there they can abuse. "Lumen killed/kidnapped my wife so I'd work for Lumen and now my depression has made me a prisoner to them" is how I see the twist being revealed
I wonder if Irving and Mark went to the same support group in the early days of Gemmas death and that’s how they met briefly; it makes sense that Irving is also living alone with his dog and might’ve lost a partner or someone close to him so was referred to a support group. Maybe Irving’s deceased loved one will show up on the severed floor like Gemma/Miss Casey - or maybe we’ve already met them!?
2:50 You don't ask someone "how many of those..." unless they look drunk (she didn't), or there's a reason you think that them having had too many is likely.
This is what I haven't figured out: they don't know what they're doing at Lumon, so why do they need to sever? It seems like they could just put numbers in boxes at a normal job. There's got to be something extreme going on to justify the costs.
While rewatching EP 1. There was a scene at the no food party where ricken’s friend said “I wish I could do severance I would always he thinking about the other person. That made me think rickens friend are Secretly Innies they could have been part of the “uprising” milcheck talks about and they escaped. That’s why they talk and act like innies even tho there outside
My wildest theory that makes a lot of sense is that Helena did not want to be severed but felt pressured to and that’s why she is so out of control. Also why she was hearing a weird guy’s voice in the break room. I think what they hear is meant to put them on edge without understanding why.
I was thinking about this with the Helly theory, but then when that last theory about Harmony came up it bolstered my ideas a little. I haven’t rewatched the show since I saw it and I don’t follow theories so maybe this has been put out there and dismissed already. But what if outtie Helly isn’t an unsevered version of herself? What if she had been previously severed to become the gung-ho corporate daughter version. They do have the other severed people on the outside it seems. So maybe unsevered Helly was a party girl or otherwise rebellious kid and against Lumen? And if she was involved in that car accident that gave them the opportunity for the first sever? And Harmony similarly almost seems like multiple severs to me. And she was, it seems, anti Lumen. And now she’s working for them. And her outtie self has knowledge of her innie self, but it seem like there is an additional self there with the shrine to her mom, etc So maybe it’s also a way to keep their enemies closer, but also study them…
The idea of multiple severances applied to one person is definitely intriguing. It could explain not only Helly's outties behavior, but Harmony and maybe even Irving. I once read a similar theory that says the Helly we saw in the recorded video was another severed version that was coached to say whatever was necessary to get iHelly to comply. It would be very interesting if the real Helly is still that much of a mystery. Thanks for the comment and kind words!
2:43 I don't think the line "How many have you had" is meant to imply that Helena is a party girl or an alcoholic. I think she says it because the innie Helly is acting weird and unlike herself. Natalie knows how she normally acts and interprets it as her being drunk.
Man, I just stumbled across your videos, and they are 🤌 Not only are they thoughtful, interesting, and fun to watch and listen to, you are genuinely hilarious and have amazing taste in terms of comedic sensibility. I love it, please keep making videos forever
7:59 In season 1 when Irving is walking down the hall to O&D to go see Burt G. he takes out a mini comb from his shirt pocket and begins brushing his mustache!……. Also the line about being “a friend to the insane”….. This is a fascinating theory…. How did I not connect these dots!
Natalie asks her how many she had bc Helly is looking weird/suspicious after becoming her innie. Helly is very confused and Natalie can see it on her face
Ok I have a thought provoking question. What are your thoughts my fellow outies. Why does Helly (or possibly all innies) wake up lying on top of a conference table. I feel like no one else found this odd. Maybe because we always talk about how much of an incredible opening scene it is. And how it's framed. So beautifully. But when they're being introduced for the first time to their innies, why would they be laying on a conference table. Seems like such an odd way to wake up. And that means somebody had to pose them like that when they were unconscious. Something is fishy there. It's not realistic or in line with how meticulous Lumon seems to do things.
Its in the script for the survey everyone wakes up on the table. That whole beginning bit is to test the chip is working even under extreme duress. the placement, the survey questions all meant to freak the person out and if the chip is working correctly. Otherwise they would start them off in a chair in front of the video their outties made for them.
I noticed those two things with Irving on a rewatch, the mustache comment from Devin and the comment from the session with Ms. Casey, and couldn't help thinking the same Irving therapist theory. Who knows though if therapy wasn't something Mark started doing in conjunction with becoming severed, rather than prior to severance. Perhaps instead of a therapist Irving working nefariously to coerce people into becoming severed on behalf of Lumon, it's something quite the opposite. Maybe he holds a background in that field and he is doing some type of part-time social work/psychotherapy for severed employees. And just maybe, the intent behind the therapy is awakening something in them. He himself is the one character we've seen that is finding a way to bridge the subconscious between the innie and outie self. Perhaps he's trying to do the same for others in a subtle way that doesn't raise huge alarm bells, but can still hurt Lumon. He has a list of all those Lumon employees, maybe that's part of the reason behind it. The man's got time, we know he's doing anything other than sleeping on the outside!
With all of these theories and the net you’ve casted with them at some point we’re gonna solve it without a second season if we get more delays😂 we need to petition for you to get a cameo as a crazy theorizer on an internet message board or something in the show. Also mini theory and I hope I’m not unintentionally taking someone else’s and I think it’s proven that it won’t but what if we just cut to another department instead of marks crew. I would find it both interesting and irritating and probably too convoluted but if we don’t see more of the lumen offices I’ll be lil sad
Irving is probably a group therapy leader from his ptsd and that's where he met mark. He could be trying to build a team of ppl that have nothing to lose (mark told him he lost his wife) and that's why he recruited him. Slowly trying to win him over.
Outie Irving could have recruited Mark, but not for Lumen's sake. He may have thought or at least hoped that Innie Mark could be useful inside, to Irving's investigation of Lumen.
@Nautilus, I love your reviews and theories. I don't know if your stated this already. I didn't see it in the Helly R video. I don't believe Helly R was supposed to be a refiner. Petey's disappearance was a complete surprise to everyone. There were only 4 desk and Mrs. Cobel had moved her desk to a new office. I think Helly was supposed to be a new supervisor role for Mrs. Cobel. which would make sense since she is related to whom she was related to. I wonder if Helly comes back to be a villain in the second season since she doesn't think innies are real people.
Car accident name reputation makes no sense because it implies outie mark knows she did that and their outies have been seen interacting together when he almost hit her with the car “keep your eyes on the icy road”
Putting this out there to see if anyone gets it. Didn't "Ms Casey" said that she's only been alive for 170+hours, and the 8 hours she spent in MDR was her best time of her "life"? So, doing the calculation based on 9-5 working hours, and 5 days a week. She would've only been Ms Casey for not more than 2 months or so. So what happened between the accident and up until she's Ms Casey?
The party girl theory could also be supported by how quickly and eagerly she participates in the Music Dance Experience. She’s the only one who is really into it (other than Milchick).
I think all management could be innie personalities. But also possibly dead originally so their outies are technically dead. All the Mr and Ms personas could be either revived/rebuilt dead people or clones. Cobel had a medical device tube in that episode where she's at home worshipping Kier. The Ms Huang from season 2 was a crossing guard, possibly knocked down (speculation) and Ms Casey died. Love these theories!
So i think mark and gemmas role is to see if they can trigger a memory between the two. Bc if luman tries to being back Keir, he would be his "innie" and not have his memories which would be point less. I also think the 4 main charcaters are told about the 4 personalities bc they are only four in their division, and to do the 'job' they are doing is by 'feeling' to find the right combo of people to unlock keir. I bet that has a lot to do with why hellie went in, bc they are close and they dont need any more people quitting or issues
Look at the functions list on the console. I feel they can just wipe anyone and start over as a way of keeping them as an asset Milchick says something to Mark along this line with the balloons in the trailer for season 2
also the severed workers are the product, their jobs are nonsense, it is a facility for proof of concept and experimentation on the severed to fine tune it for wide scale release.
YES I think this is very possible. I still wonder if possible extra terrestrial stuff is going on but that's just me wondering. lol Kobel says "take Gemma back to Experimentation or something like that so..yeah.
Ive been on that helly theory train for a while. It makes so much sense. In the last episode when her innie is watching Helenas Interview for Lumon she literally says she didnt say the 9 principles WILLINGLY meaning that she felt like it was a drag (to me at least i could be wrong yk) but I think that alone is enough for me to just think that theres so much beyond the “I dont wanna say the 9 Lumon principles before bed dad” Like sure I do definitely think that Helena was actually intrigued by her dads work and the severance chips themselves but I also kinda think that Helena was heavily manipulated into taking the Lumon job. I feel like I just wemt from one thing to another ^^^ but I have adhd so my bad lol Anyways…. I do think that Jame her father was absolutely not fully transparent about the insides of the job which I mean I think if my daughter was going to be working there I would at least tell her the possible consequences she could get herself into at least? I mean Jame HAS to know that she was sent to the brrak room so early into starting there. I just think that the last episode showing Helena was really all of Jame. (not the innie like all the interviews and stuff of her thats being shown) Its late so this might just be one big ramble but I wanted to share my thoughts to see if anyone may see what Im trying to say or think the same😂😂😅
i laughed so hard when helly r's response to being threatened with torture and nonexistence was "bitch i will kill you" when ben stiller went on about the comedy in his interviews he wasnt kidding 10/10 epic
I had a fun theory about ir , but it fell apart. I thought irv was played by the psychiatrist from M*A*S*H, so it was an inside joke that his dog is Radar.... But that actor died at 95, ten gears ago. Which proves what ivttold people my whole life: i can't judge timee, distance,vweifht, etc and can't remember faces... let alone names.... As you were....
Her being the cause of the car accident is nice but there is a scene (as you just shown) of them meeting in the parking lot. I’d think mark would show more anger towards her for causing the crash idk I’m sure he’d know who cause the crash not with just insurance but news “severance daughter causes car crash” Edit: unless of course they are using severance to make them forget it ever happened
I think its an interesting take on Helena, that she is actually not in high regard in the company, I found it really odd, that Natalie talked to her before the stage, like with child, like hit all the speech points and it wiil be ok. Like I suppose the director (or what her job title is in the outie world) would know whst to say and how to behave on stage??? Without this "encouraging tips"?
I always wondered what the hell going off the debend meant. Years later, I understood it was actually "deep end". Later still, I understood that it actually has to do with swimming pools. And now I am wondering how the hell can you go "off" the deep end. I can understand going in "in", but going "off" doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It must be the weirdest saying, it really throws me off the deep end.
wonder how the painting theory might work in with why Irving seems to be in some sort of loop. Maybe they restarted his consciousness after the first uprising
I think another theory is that Ricken’s “not-dinner” party friends are severed (but don’t know it?)The whole dinner talk is cringy and they are very submissive. Mark’s Outie is confrontational and doesn’t seem to mind to upset them. As an Innie his whole demeanor changes - in Helly’s introduction party (Melon Party) he is as cringy as the Ricken’s friends, submissive and awkwardly laughing. In this case he wants Helly to be submissive to Milchik (“he can’t always be nice like that”) while at the dinner party the friends are looking up to Ricken as the Alpha (which is odd). Plus - it really bugs me that Mark calls him “Rick” and he corrects him “Ricken” - in the first episode it looks like they don’t know each other that well, while in the last episode we find out that they vacationed all together. Which almost looks like he becomes Rick N at one point… Weird 😁
About the Helly-Gemma theory : in the first episode, when Mark almost runs Helly over in his car, she says : "Maybe keep your eyes on the icy road!" Exibit number 2...
This is far-fetched, but in the Lexington letters, Peggy almost crashes the bus because of black ice. She also "dies" in a car accident. So many car accidents, it can't be a coincidence.
4:14 (puts on tinfoil hat) it just clicked that those white roses are a nod to helly being someone of importance/of high status as well as being heavily associated with religion and religious figures in christianity i kinda don’t doubt this small detail was intentional as well bc of how meticulous the art direction and production design absolutely ridiculous and delicious im really interested now and will be looking out in my next rewatch if red roses end up showing up with any other character as tie in to the war of the roses
Good observation there. I'm certain the color of the roses carries some significance. I'll look further into it and see what I can dig up. I'll give you a shout out if I find anything
the fonders are probably trying to acheve immortality by putting themself in other people and the work they do with number probably a way to see who is more compatible ? cant wait for season 2
I like the Helly/Gemma theory. The pieces do fit really well to make for a devastating twist in character development. The only thing that doesn’t quite match for me is the Lexington letter. This theory would imply that Gemma’s death was an accident (caused by party girl Helly driving drunk). Wasn’t there something in the book about other fatal car crashes related to Lumon employees that were under very suspicious circumstances? It paved the way for the theory that Gemma’s death was intentional, and caused by Lumon. It’s been over a year since I’ve read it or watched season 1 so I could be wrong, but that stood out to me. It’s also possible that it was a red herring, but it seems too big of a plot point in the ebook to be a misdirection. 🤔
Harmony Cobel may be an Innie who was allowed to take over her Outtie's life due to her intense loyalty. That's why she is, at times, clueless about real world things like how to manage ice on the porch (you use salt, not a blow dryer). Being a loyal Innie, she worships Kier Eagen at her little home shrine.
That's an awesome idea! Would certainly make sense as she's uutterly wacky, sinister and yet childlike on the outside and a more straightforward cut-throat corporate type adult in the office. Her outie is weirder than her innie, opposed to with everyone else who is or has been Severed. Good catch!
i like this one
I hadn't thought to is far into it, but yes! She is a reverse-severed. The innie is the outtie. Feel really confident in this.
I agree, I think both her and Milchick are both now full time severed employees.
Thanks for pointing out the hair dryer, I actually thought some Americans just do it
Okay, I watched this video 3 times and then switched to my laptop so I could properly react. First off! Nauti, my man, you do phenomenal work. Every video puts me into obsessed mode again. I've watched Severance countless times and might go again! Your editing and storytelling is great, and your voice is amazing. I'm sure you've been told but here I am telling you again.
Second. The Helly Theory? THE GASP I GUSPED. I'm totally on board. It makes so much sense to me actually. The clues might seem subtle but that's the thing with Severance. Every frame and detail is SO intentional that it might very well be true. I feel like the show leans into conflict as an overarching theme a lot (with others, authority, your trauma, your past, YOURSELF) and this might be the perfect seed they've planted for Mark & Helly. (spoilers coming) Mark finding out Gemma's alive will most definitely lead him to investigate further, and I absolutely see Helly uncovering her outie's story along the way. And then the many references to alcohol? And the almost accident in the very first episode? And Cobel being weird/obsessed with Mark remembering Gemma/the accident? It might also be part of why she kept quiet about Helly's incident, as to keep her around (the dad's weird but powerful so he would've probably gotten her out of the program). Yup, I'm ON BOARD with Helly being the drunk driver for Gemma's accident!
Paintings: 100% fear mongering. Agree.
Man with funny moustache theory: I don't think Irving's some pawn in Lumon's set-up but I do think the characters know eachother as outies in ways we haven't seen yet. So it might be plausible for Mark to have had a one off therapy session with Irving. I won't stand to have Irving's mustache disparaged though. That is a fine mustache.
I've never realized Helly's innie had to 'play' the daughter. Of course she only knows Jame Eagan as the big man at Lumon. Interesting.
Haven't found a theory that satisfies me when it comes to Devon and Ricken. There's definitely a reason for that relationship and the... weirdness of it all.
I love this show through and through. I was wondering if you have ever seen Mad Men? It is my favorite show and I think Severance is too, because I see similarities. They're in no means alike, but both have high production value and are very well written and intentional, playing on relatable themes in an odd setting. I highly recommend it (and of course, I would devour every video essay you would hypothetically make about it).
Thank you again for putting in the work for these videos, it is appreciated!
A very fine mustache! I could see him as a psych professional. He’s got an air about him. Psych professional in the military, in his past, perhaps?
Hey, thanks for the comment! I definitely agree with you that I don't think Irving is the mustachioed man Devon was speaking of and I 100% think we will find out that the MDR characters have connections outside of Lumon that they aren't aware of. Like you mentioned, there is intention in every word and line of this script so it's within reason to want to dissect everything we get and try to guess the answers ahead of time.
@@nautilusfiles Yes! Theorizing is fun! Thanks for replying.
@rockslam *”The gasp I gusped.”* 😂 You and me both. I am absolutely on board with that theory. 😊
You are keeping me sane. After watching Season 1 for the second time, nearly a year later, my desire for more has been re-ignited. I know I’m a masochist.
MEEEEE TOOOOO!
Jan 17 season 2
I definitely think the painting/erasure theory is a great one. It’s clear based on the other settings we saw near the overtime contingency that they do have the ability to alter, pause, extend, erase, and reset innies memories. What a crazy twist it would be to find out that the severed folks (or some of them) had already been through some version of this before and been reset. And they could do it again to punish MDR for what they did. THAT said I reeeealllly hate memory erasure as plot device so I hope Severance does something else with it.
ALSO congrats on 10k! Forgot to say it last video 😅
very much like the show The Good Place
Yess this could explain why Irv’s subconscious mind remembers seeing the room they send Gemma to. Throughout the entire show we never see Irving go near that door. And in the beginning he was very by the book so why would he ever take the risk in the first place. The only thing that motivated his risk taking was the thought of falling in love. So based on context clues it seems Irving’s innie has never seen this room. At least the current version of Irving.
I was unemployed for a few months, during that time I saw Severance and now that I’m back to the work force I can’t stop seeing all the things that the corporate world does and that are pretty similar to Lumon hahahaha! I def have gone crazy!
Don’t worry ai will restructure our whole existence💀😭
It's nice to see you reunited with your family, where every employee is enjoyed equally.
I love this video! And that Helly theory is great! 🤩 I could just see it now…
-Helly is driving under the influence, after a night out partying. She swerves into oncoming traffic, where Gemma is driving.
-Gemma veers towards the side of the road, to avoid a collision but ends up crashing into the tree.
-Helly gets out and checks on the driver. Gemma recognizes her as the ‘daughter of Lumen industries’ before passing out.
-Fearful of getting into trouble (as well as bringing negative press to the company), Helly calls in fixers from Lumen and they do a cover-up.
-Lumen has connections and plants in various areas, including at the hospital where Gemma is taken.
-The plants are able to get access to Gemma, and she is abruptly severed. They then put her severed self into ‘lullaby’ mode to keep her from waking-up.
-Once they have the opportunity, they fake Gemma’s death and take her body.
-Helly goes into rehab afterwards and when she is clean, is made to become an employee for her father’s business which.
- I believe she had been opposed to Lumen and severance for some time now- having had knowledge of the awful things that take place behind the scenes. Unable to deal with it (especially since as a child, she was so on board with everything) she began to use drugs as a coping mechanism.
That’s my two cents about that. 😏
So many possibilities! If Helly *is* behind Gemma’s accident, that’s going to create some fantastic conflict with the Innie Helly & Mark situation.
I love how wonderful this show is at foreshadowing, and how deliberate they are with dialogue and other details. That scene with Mark nearly hitting Helly with his car, takes on a whole new meaning if this theory is true.
Also, maybe that is why Rugabi turned on Lumen. Maybe she couldn’t take knowing that Gemma and Mark were in this situation partly because of her? So many questions. 😩
I have to say, though, that this program is so amazingly unpredictable that I could also see none of that being the case, haha. 😂🤷🏾♀️ We shall see.
Great take and love your detailed notes! Definitely something to think about
I believe Reghabi's interests are completely unrelated to Mark's situation. I mean he's part of it, but not exactly why she is working on reintegration.
@@MrBrno Yeah Reghabi didn't hesitate to hurt Graner, so it's unlikely she'll feel guilty about Mark and Gemma. She's unrelated to them and more of a scientist who's into reintegration, also is against Lumon for some reason. It's so far fetched thinking Reghabi gives a damn about Mark and Gemma.
Such a detailed theory! Helly causing Gemma's accident would make a lot of sense. I've been wondering how Gemma could've randomly hit a tree. It would make so much sense if she was swerving to avoid another car.
How 😮❤
CAN WE ALSO SEE A THEORY ABOUT NATALIE she is so weird and I just cannot shake that shes gonna be important in the next season especially since shes the one who delivered to Harmony that she was let go and even gave reasons why
I wouldve been scared saying reasons giving Harmony’s unsettling demeanor
she wears a pin similar to Ms. Casey's. I think she's also a "part time innie" that represents the board and has no other life.
@@sayhmm wow true the pin represents innies that have no outies, great catch!
I have a suspicion that "Radar" actually refers to the thing that Irving named his dog after. It's just really strange to refer to the "sound of radar". I love dogs, and I know a lot of dog people. I've never heard anyone talk about how they love the "sound" of their dog. Specific adorable noises, sure, but this wording seems intentional and strikes me as an odd way to talk about a dog.
It would only make sense if his dog was a husky. That breed has a lot to say. Hahaha
I don't think when Gemma said that he "enjoys the sound of radar" that you should take that literally. They know his dog's name is Radar, so they're trying to see if just the name of his dog will elicit an emotional response, bc the point of the wellness checks are to make sure the severance is still fully in effect and working properly.
@@Hollycb12Very true, the wellness exams are looking for their reactions as opposed to actually telling them something meaningful about their lives.
@@MedicoreMacaroni yes! Man, I am so excited for season 2!!
I feel like this was a hint that he left for himself. If they ask the outies things about their life to use, Irving could have left codes or hints for his innie in hopes of getting through to him.
im so thirsty for season 2 lol
Same!!
This is TORTURE, people!! ARGH! 😂😂😂
i am prisoner to this waiting list
I SWEAR bro. I haven’t been so unhealthy obsessed with a show in all of my 26 years lmao literally not a day’s gone by I didn’t at least once think about season 2 since I finished the first 😂
I know - how much would you pay for a month early access..?
i’m on board with the irving one. it makes total sense since irving is implied to be involved with military somehow and maybe he could have some form of PTSD that pushes him to help others with other mental issues like mark’s grief? it really works in my head and also the mustache thing is a huge cue towards that
Military PTSD is a great point to bring up! That could definitely be a part of his reasoning for involving himself with severance
On the Helly theory-If they kept her severed overnight, was there nobody in Helly’s life that would notice she didn’t come home from work that day?
Maybe she lives alone? As far as we know she doesn't seem to have a family outside, and I mean a husband and children. And she also is the next in line so it wouldn't be weird for her to stay overnight at the company.
Pulled an all nighter at work…. ( or came back super late and left super early to go back to work)
@@MrBrno I don't know if you're aware, but Brno is a city in the Czech Republic. My hometown, in fact. :D
this show has so many little details that spark your imagination! i love the creativity of this fan base. thank you for sharing these theories in a balanced way!! i love your videos!
I feel like this channel is going to ruin me for season 2 because nothing can live up to these incredible theories.
This is one of those shows, like Breaking Bad, that every single character is perfectly played and perfectly cast. On top of amazing writing and an amazing story overall.
What do y’all think James Eagan meant by wanting Helly at ‘my revolving’? My mind went to rich people looking for ways to live forever… thoughts?
Definitely something creepy about that. I think there’s some storage of consciousness thing going on, given the rest of what Lumon does.
I think it’s his consciousness being passed onto the next body, a la Get Out style
Yes he gets downloaded into each CEO like a Cylon. Reincarnated or revolved
If Outie Irving was trained as a Psychologist, that would explain why he's painting so much to get at and express his subconscious as a way to surface Innie impressions to the Outie; he'd have some understanding about how the brain works and how people can process suppressed emotions that cause them trouble.
Explains a lot about the character. I'm in!
I believe Irving is definitely trying to bridge the gap between his innie and outie. there’s no other reason he’d be depriving himself of sleep and making lists of names. the names could be coming into his head like how innie burt has leakage of the paint
I was hoping more people would pick apart his wellness check facts. I think that's a really interesting and fitting theory too. He could have been and his espionage is after he had some time as a practicing psychiatrist.
Irving's painting hobby on the outside would explain why his innie is so interested in the hallway art!
@@poogissploogisI was thinking maybe Irving was a previous Lumon employee and then got severed, and the reason he's is so interested in the paintings is because he himself drew them.
@greed891 well,I might be wrong, but I swear I remember him saying in first season he worked for Lumon before getting severed
Love these videos. I think that Harmony and Irving have a deeper connection. Brother and sister? They both have the same finishing school accent along with Ricken. There is definitely something going on there.
This is a great point! I've definitely found it interesting how prim and proper Cobel and Ricken speak. Cobel in particular has such a cartoonishly posh manner of speaking with lots of colorful metaphors and such.
I hope S2 will explain more about the wellness sessions. Where did they get these facts on the outies? Why is it so important that each fact be enjoyed 'equally'? What's the harm with smiling or reacting at all?
Really intresting stuff!
(PS: also have some suspicions on the use of soft music, dim ligthing, oil diffuser, and nature-like items in that wellness room. What are they really trying to do to the Innies in those sessions?]
I believe the point of the wellness sessions are to make sure the innies are still fully severed. They sprinkle in bits of truth about the outies lives to make sure these hints don't elicit an emotional response. Like when they tell Irv that his outie "loves the sound of radar" (they know his dog's name is Radar, so they want to see if there is any reaction to that word specifically. If not, the severance procedure is still most likely in full effect). Notice they make them go to a wellness check after something happens in the office that could be sparked by the severance procedure failing in at least one of the innies)
I know people think Marks outie and Devon will now know that his wife is alive because he shouted “She’s alive “ while holding Gemma’s picture. But I think that will be a letdown. I think he’s gonna drop that picture and people will assume that the she he’s referring to is the baby. Later in evening someone will pick up
the picture , and wonder how it ended up on the floor.
I think you may be right, and maybe Devon will have this weird feeling like "what did he mean by that" and it may take a lot of the season for her to uncover
Thats definitely what will happen. They will all come back confused and eventually marks sister will see the picture, remember the conversation with marks innie and then start to piece it together. Helly could easily play off her mishap saying something quick as she is media trained and seems politically good with that. Iriving will come back a bit confused and start piecing things together. Ultimately Irving, the sister, and rigabi will be key to the outties getting in. Thats the theme next season its the outtie getting in.
I agree completely. I definitely think everyone is going to assume they're talking about baby Eleanor. It would add so much more to the suspense if they did not pick up on what Mark actually meant, at least not right away.
Just commenting to say watch the season 2 trailer
@@vog- I’ve seen it. I’m happy that I was wrong.
I'm rewatching the show and I noticed a couple of things about Cobel's behavior.
We know towards the end of the season she tries to make him remember Gemma, even asks Devon if he said anything about her.
Other interesting instances are when she talks about her mother to Mark, and it's like on purpose she says similarly worded but opposite things to him.
But what I noticed today, is that she keeps messing up the recycling and trash as solveig. And in ep 3, Mark announces at work that someone keeps throwing trash into recycling. I'm thinking it could be cobel. Trying to create parallel memories for mark's innie and outie. Bc she wants him to reintegrate for some reason. We know she was happy to find out that Petey was reintegrated.
Another thing is the blueprints of her husband's house. In ep 2 the scene cuts off before she shows them to Mark, and I used to think it's nothing. But it's possible she showed him Gemma's house from the testing floor, or kier's house. Something like that to encourage him to remember innie things.
Exactly what I needed today! 😀👍
The point about the artwork makes me think about how readily Dylan bit Milchick during the music and dance experience. Very similar to how people were ripping each other apart in the painting
How about instead of Irv being Marks therapist of some sort…maybe they met in a trauma /support group. It fits Irv being a “friend to the insane” and knowing Mark on the outside. It would seem normal for Mark to attend some sort of group therapy after his loss, and Irv for his PTSD
I think Devon would’ve known more about the Artetas if she was a Lumon asset
HEAR ME OUT: They are trying to bring back the Keagan's that have already passed. The goats are what they use to test cloning technology and they have already progressed to testing with humans. Gemma is a test case of human cloning and Cobel got the candle to see if the clones could recover their memories. Cobel is interested in this because she wants her mother back and wishes to have her with her memories fully restored.
Now the macrodata refinement is something related to memories. I think they are separating memories so they can be fully controlled. Meaning, Lumon knows what the sad, fearful, happy memories are and they can select what memories they remember and this allows them to manipulate people, for example instilling fear in them.
EDIT: I do also feel like Lumon targets certain people to bring in to go through severance, maybe people with emotional or physical traumas. Mark and Irving had emotional traumas (the loss of his wife and ptsd from the army maybe) and in Irving's outtie paper with other outies name at 10:17 you can see that there is a guy called Doug Coleman that went through a car accident and on the list there is also a divorced guy, so many they target these people to test if they can erase these bad memories or some kinda of therapy idk
The Helly theory is spot on. She’s so desperate to get back into her family’s good graces that she stays persistent even when her innie almost lips her. It’s almost like a self inflicted punishment in a way.
The fact we can use our imaginations to craft any number of possible stories highlights the beauty and genius of this show’s writing. Like a choose your own adventure. I want Severance the video game next. 😅
Just watched it recently for the first time. Episodes 7, 8, and 9 combined was better than any movie I've seen recently.
Nine was amazing, but the build-up in 7 and 8 was great as well.
Looking forward to season 2.
Just found your channel, watching these is helping ease the wait for season 2!! I'm not sure if this has been brought up/mentioned before but throughout the whole show there is a lot of aspects relating to children or birth (?) Mark's sister giving birth along with the severed people at the birthing cabins, a little more subtle but the caring for baby goats and bottle feeding them. In the Lexington letter too, she mentions how everything seemed like it was made for children. It's definitely a large part of the entire story but I'm wondering how it ties in to everything, I'm not sure if it's as simple as creating clones. Maybe Lumon is more interested in severing people from birth, but I'm not sure.
I recently started suspecting that severance isn’t actually location based. That Greer or someone watches when the elevator comes down and switches them over. That’d play well into the theory that Milchik and Cobel are permanently severed - they just don’t switch anymore. Like someone else said, they could both be permanent Innies with their Outties having no clue.
the main problem with the "helley killed gemma" theory is that mark had worked for lumon almost 2 years before helley got there, so if helley did feel guilty about the accident and wanted to forget it, she likely wouldve started the severence procedure much sooner
Two years? I thought it was one, but anyway:
It's a PR-stunt and I find the explanation her family, probably her father, presented the opportunity to her or maybe even pressured her. I like the idea that she's really fucking lonely and did it out of boredom and loneliness better, though. Because why else do such an insane thing, really? Not like she needs the money. Furthermore, it'd be dramatic irony how she has real friends, something to fight for and even a love interest with her co-workers as Helly, when she might lack all those things as a super rich, but ultimately lonely (only that fake-ass bioootch Natalie was with her at the Gala, no gaggle of socialite friends clinging to her, no handsome-but-a-moron admirer/bf at her side, eh?) and deeply unhappy person as Helena.
But let's say she did it feeling guilty for the accident, why would she choose to work with iMark? Helena clearly despises innies, even *if* it's just a convoluted form of self-hatred, she can't possibly think too much of other innies, no?
Also, I'm pretty sure Erickson stated she ended up with MDR because that was the first vacant position to be filled (after Petey fled). That contradicts this theory the most strongly, unless we're willing to accept some 4D chess moves where Lumon was instructed by Helena to make Petey flee (while he's also freshly reintegrated, conveniently?), so she could fill in at MDR with Mark (whom she doesn't view as a person with all but certainty). While also not knowing, having no control over how she will treat Mark. No, that just doesn't make sense.
I think the person behind the speaker of the "Board" is not Jame. I think it is Kier, in the state of "revolving". That's why he only listens. Ms Cobel is very surprised when one time the Board responds with "yes". I don't know how he communicates with Natalie, though.
I've been thinking this too! I saw someone suggest that Lumon's overarching goal with severance and the possible experiments on Ms. Casey are to bring back Kier's consciousness, possibly sharing a body with Jame. Perhaps Jame is the one communicating with Natalie most of the time.
Nauty - your videos are excellent, I drop everything and watch when I see a new one is available. I love your analysis on all these Severence theories. S2 can’t come soon enough, because my 30th and 31st binges of S1 have not provided me with any enlightening answers to, or confirmations of, the theories I currently subscribe to.
I like @wishing2fly’s theories that you addressed, however, I don’t buy that Harmony is anywhere remotely close to being confused by the time, or what day it is, or that her chip is malfunctioning. I don’t buy it because of a theory of my own, which I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone else talk about or show any evidence for, other than being casually mentioned. Having said that, if I missed any of your (or others!) videos that specifically discuss this, I’ll be happy to be lambasted by the rest of the innies here and go back to lurking in the corner.
My theory - Lumon has been keeping Mark (and probably others) in ‘innie’ mode and at work for more than just a normal 8 hour, 9am-5pm (or 5:15, I know, they’re staggered) work day. But, to what end? I don’t know…it’s Lumon though, right? So ya know, just general shady shit? Maybe another theory interlocks like a puzzle piece with this one, but I think this is pretty solid.
My evidence (and I’ve got receipts…time stamps, baby!). In Episode 1 - Good News About Hell, at 8 minutes and 54 seconds, the writers/editors seem to go to great lengths to show us Mark’s watch as he switches it out for the more plain/basic one that he’s allowed to wear on the severed floor. They seem to be pointing to it and basically screaming at us LOOK AT THIS. LOOK AT THE WATCH. ITS IMPORTANT. Why else would they show us this in such a close-up? Why does the shot linger on the watch, and show alllllll the detail on it? On his way out of Lumon for the day, at 34 minutes and 40 seconds into the episode, they AGAIN show us the watch as he changes out the plain/basic one that he wears on the severed floor for the one he was wearing when he entered the building. To me, they’re almost saying, “SEE? DO YOU SEE THE WATCH? DO YOU GET IT??” Also, as Mark leaves the severed floor they show us several different clocks, looming on the walls. They each confirm that it is, in fact, quitting time. But that isn’t what’s being highlighted. There’s nothing abnormal about the time of the day, no, not what TIME it is. But what DAY it is. And what day IS it??
Mark goes into work at 9:05am on the 4th, and doesn’t leave work until 5:25pm on the 5th. Nothing in the episode suggests that multiple work days are being shown, and, in fact, the episode seems to neatly suggest that we have witnessed a single work day begin and end by the time the episode ends. Except for the EXTREMELY obvious hints/nods/nudges to the watch. Those cheeky writers have raised their eyebrows to us and said, “Hmmm? Did you catch that?” Its like they are intentionally leaving this clue for us.
Bringing this back to @wishing2fly - this theory assumes that outie Mark is not aware that he’s been kept at work for longer than a work ‘day,’ which would mean that its actually Mark who would/could be confused by what day it is. This is supported by Mark getting upset/annoyed at Nanny Cobel when she puts her bins out on the wrong day. She didn’t though, HE did. She just plays dumb when they talk about it. Oops! Silly me! Clumsy Clara! I think she does it intentionally in order to test if outie Mark has even noticed what day it is. Maybe this is something that is outside of Lumon protocol, and she’s keeping him at work for her own reasons, and she’s checking to make sure whatever she’s been doing won’t be discovered. And isn’t his trash still in the barrel in the following episode(s)? Wouldn’t they have come to collect it already? No, because he completely missed trash day.
Further evidence of Mark’s confusion of the day - on the night of the dinner that isn’t dinner with Rickon’s weird infantile groupie severed friends (what is up with them??), Devon shows up to Mark’s house to pick him up and bring him to the dinner, and he has no idea why she’s even there. “Did you forget?” Devon says to him. He takes a minute to think and then light dawns and he says, “oh, yeah,” after a long pause. You can see that he’s very confused. It seems like he does remember something about dinner, but, isn’t that tomorrow? Wait, that’s today? I guess I did forget. He would be easy to keep severed longer than normal because his outie is a grief stricken alcoholic, who would be less likely to notice that he’s missing days at a time. Devon seems disappointed and annoyed that he forgot about the dinner, as if this isn’t the first time, and that it happens frequently. Lumon does this frequently.
Whatever this theory means, if true, I have no idea, and I will leave for the rest of the innies to discuss. I need to go freshen up my tinfoil hat.
I believe outie Mark would have realized it is Friday instead of Thursday.. for ex
We were discussing over here during our rewatch that it seems likely that some days, outies go to sleep, and they wake up, but a work day didn't happen in between. Perhaps they are taken to the testing floor, and with the various modes shown in episode 8, they're able to pause the innie's ability to form and keep memories. Who knows what's done to them? It's not out of the realm of imagination that they might keep some people for multiple days if they know something about their outie lives. Cobel e.g. is spying on Mark all the time. It would also explain how Irving seems to know the image of the special elevator that goes to the testing floor. Why else would he? He lives alone, so the main complication would be someone feeding and taking his dog on walks once in a while, which is a pretty small stretch for Lumon. If he has a doggy daycare or something, that would take care of that, especially if (like everything else in the town), Lumon has a connection with the doggy daycare.
I really beleive there was a coup in the past. But I don't think it was an inter-departmental conflict but a united front against management and Lumon as a whole. Management was able to spin the story to future employees as propaganda against the union (get it?). They were also able to punish MDR by downsizing their department and making OD believe MDR instigated the coup, thus their mistrust of MDR.
I think Milchick isn’t who he appears to be. I think he’s the reason Petey had that tape. In the one scene they made it a point to show that he put the little tape in his pocket. Seems like the company would have a different kind of recording apparatus. Maybe the tapes are his own recordings, or a group that he works with.
Awesome video! I love crazy theories - the crazier, the better.
I’m totally on board with any Helly theories. There’s something so…wrong…about having her be severed. "Wrong" might not be the right word; perhaps it’s just more "off" than "wrong." Having your presumptive successor take part in something that you seem to know has major problems is wrong on so many levels. I do think Helly wasn’t participating in the Severance program of her own free will.
I’m also very interested in the Devon character. There’s just no way she doesn’t have a much deeper involvement. There MUST be some connection between her and somebody else. Quite possibly Mrs. Cobell. There could be a connection to Irving, but a connection to Harmony seems more likely. Devon’s lifestyle is just so…out there, especially compared to Mark’s very mundane, normal "outie" life.
Helly acts definitely like a "boss kid", but "party girl" is a bit far fetched,
Even if it could be used to create more drama further down the line,
Helly's outie seems way to determined and concerned, about her innie's behavior, to be a "party girl".
You ever see how those rich kids act as teens/20's. They're wild, they have the money to do whatever they want and a lifetime of people saying yes and no consequences.
The cliche of a frat guy that does something stupid and illegal getting off lightly is they're for a reason "do you know who my dad is?" As he's being arrested for drunkenly wraps his 100k car around a tree. There's even a term for it "affluenza" (it's a bs term, but I don't have enough money to hire a PR team to market against it).
I love the Irving theory! Not sold about Helly's involved with Gemma at all tho, and the drinks line I thought was referring to Helly looking weird as "not really herself"
I just watched the show for first time this week and wow what a ride. Now I’m getting caught up on all your videos and they are great. One thing I can’t stop wondering is, how many times can they partition someone’s mind? How many personalities can be in one person? And what else can the chip do that we are unaware of? That opens up all kinds of possibilities for next season.
Oh the party girl helly and hitting gemma makes so much sense, lays so much drama, the bit of Mark almost hitting her with his car becomes such cool foreshadowing, and it makes that perspective love triangle suuuuuper interesting
I have a new theory about Petey's map. I now think that the top of the diagram is (1) yet another lobotomy image. It looks like a large eye with the computer chip inside, right? Well, remember how I said before that the innie chip is placed behind the eye, right where a lobotomy would be done? And (2) it's a visual pun: "In my mind's eye". Meaning that humans don't see with our eyes, we see with our mind, and the chip behind the eye alters how these humans view the world. This makes me think that there are other visual puns in the drawings but maybe we don't know what they are yet.
Ohhh Helly hitting Gemma with the car is a great theory because it will create such a conflict later in the story, since Helly and Mark fall in love as innies but outtie Mark grieves his beloved wife heavily. When those 2 worlds colide....sheeeet.
I actually really like the Helena "killed" Gemma plotline. We know she's not dead, regardless if that's a clone or not, she absolutely has her memories. "They don't remember each other" even when Gemma lights her candle.
Mark will definitely figure out Helly's identity, if she doesn't just outright tell him, and I'm assuming the drama there will be "you killed my wife and then kissed me? how much do you remember? We know higher ups aren't severed". Irving figured that out on his own without telling anyone. My assumption would be if anyone Irving will be the one trying to convince Mark not to trust Helly.
Also I like the idea of Lumen, since it's a company town, deep dives on people living there and finds people with certain talents, and makes them so desperate to forget *something* (dead dad, dead wife, whatever Dylan's got going on) they start working for them. Mark was a history professor and Gemma was a professor of Russian Literature, maybe there's something there they can abuse.
"Lumen killed/kidnapped my wife so I'd work for Lumen and now my depression has made me a prisoner to them" is how I see the twist being revealed
I wonder if Irving and Mark went to the same support group in the early days of Gemmas death and that’s how they met briefly; it makes sense that Irving is also living alone with his dog and might’ve lost a partner or someone close to him so was referred to a support group. Maybe Irving’s deceased loved one will show up on the severed floor like Gemma/Miss Casey - or maybe we’ve already met them!?
2:50 You don't ask someone "how many of those..." unless they look drunk (she didn't), or there's a reason you think that them having had too many is likely.
This is what I haven't figured out: they don't know what they're doing at Lumon, so why do they need to sever? It seems like they could just put numbers in boxes at a normal job. There's got to be something extreme going on to justify the costs.
It is because they are the experiments
While rewatching EP 1. There was a scene at the no food party where ricken’s friend said “I wish I could do severance I would always he thinking about the other person. That made me think rickens friend are Secretly Innies they could have been part of the “uprising” milcheck talks about and they escaped. That’s why they talk and act like innies even tho there outside
My wildest theory that makes a lot of sense is that Helena did not want to be severed but felt pressured to and that’s why she is so out of control. Also why she was hearing a weird guy’s voice in the break room. I think what they hear is meant to put them on edge without understanding why.
I was thinking about this with the Helly theory, but then when that last theory about Harmony came up it bolstered my ideas a little. I haven’t rewatched the show since I saw it and I don’t follow theories so maybe this has been put out there and dismissed already. But what if outtie Helly isn’t an unsevered version of herself? What if she had been previously severed to become the gung-ho corporate daughter version. They do have the other severed people on the outside it seems. So maybe unsevered Helly was a party girl or otherwise rebellious kid and against Lumen? And if she was involved in that car accident that gave them the opportunity for the first sever?
And Harmony similarly almost seems like multiple severs to me. And she was, it seems, anti Lumen. And now she’s working for them. And her outtie self has knowledge of her innie self, but it seem like there is an additional self there with the shrine to her mom, etc
So maybe it’s also a way to keep their enemies closer, but also study them…
The idea of multiple severances applied to one person is definitely intriguing. It could explain not only Helly's outties behavior, but Harmony and maybe even Irving. I once read a similar theory that says the Helly we saw in the recorded video was another severed version that was coached to say whatever was necessary to get iHelly to comply. It would be very interesting if the real Helly is still that much of a mystery. Thanks for the comment and kind words!
2:43 I don't think the line "How many have you had" is meant to imply that Helena is a party girl or an alcoholic. I think she says it because the innie Helly is acting weird and unlike herself. Natalie knows how she normally acts and interprets it as her being drunk.
I concur.
Man, I just stumbled across your videos, and they are 🤌
Not only are they thoughtful, interesting, and fun to watch and listen to, you are genuinely hilarious and have amazing taste in terms of comedic sensibility. I love it, please keep making videos forever
7:59 In season 1 when Irving is walking down the hall to O&D to go see Burt G. he takes out a mini comb from his shirt pocket and begins brushing his mustache!……. Also the line about being “a friend to the insane”….. This is a fascinating theory…. How did I not connect these dots!
Natalie asks her how many she had bc Helly is looking weird/suspicious after becoming her innie. Helly is very confused and Natalie can see it on her face
Love you channel man. Best severance coverage by far. Thanks for all you do!
dude i just watched this show and its CRAZY i cannot wait for season two! thank you for making these videos they are so interesting!
Ok I have a thought provoking question. What are your thoughts my fellow outies. Why does Helly (or possibly all innies) wake up lying on top of a conference table. I feel like no one else found this odd. Maybe because we always talk about how much of an incredible opening scene it is. And how it's framed. So beautifully. But when they're being introduced for the first time to their innies, why would they be laying on a conference table. Seems like such an odd way to wake up. And that means somebody had to pose them like that when they were unconscious. Something is fishy there. It's not realistic or in line with how meticulous Lumon seems to do things.
This!!! I don't see anybody pointing this! WTH!!
interesting! the pose she's in looks more like she collapsed there than like someone laid her on the table
Yea Something is up with that They can surely write that into something interesting So open ended this series is It is great
Its in the script for the survey everyone wakes up on the table. That whole beginning bit is to test the chip is working even under extreme duress. the placement, the survey questions all meant to freak the person out and if the chip is working correctly. Otherwise they would start them off in a chair in front of the video their outties made for them.
Irving and/or his dad being in the navy is probably also why he always liked the sound of radar, might be why he named his dog that
I think Natalie was asking about the drinks because Helly was severing at that moment and thus tense/spaced out.
I noticed those two things with Irving on a rewatch, the mustache comment from Devin and the comment from the session with Ms. Casey, and couldn't help thinking the same Irving therapist theory. Who knows though if therapy wasn't something Mark started doing in conjunction with becoming severed, rather than prior to severance.
Perhaps instead of a therapist Irving working nefariously to coerce people into becoming severed on behalf of Lumon, it's something quite the opposite. Maybe he holds a background in that field and he is doing some type of part-time social work/psychotherapy for severed employees. And just maybe, the intent behind the therapy is awakening something in them. He himself is the one character we've seen that is finding a way to bridge the subconscious between the innie and outie self. Perhaps he's trying to do the same for others in a subtle way that doesn't raise huge alarm bells, but can still hurt Lumon. He has a list of all those Lumon employees, maybe that's part of the reason behind it. The man's got time, we know he's doing anything other than sleeping on the outside!
Interesting theories! Can't wait to see what happens in season 2!
you know who else has a weird moustache? my man milkshake. and hes smaller than irv ("little man")
With all of these theories and the net you’ve casted with them at some point we’re gonna solve it without a second season if we get more delays😂 we need to petition for you to get a cameo as a crazy theorizer on an internet message board or something in the show. Also mini theory and I hope I’m not unintentionally taking someone else’s and I think it’s proven that it won’t but what if we just cut to another department instead of marks crew. I would find it both interesting and irritating and probably too convoluted but if we don’t see more of the lumen offices I’ll be lil sad
Quite small of a prediction, but I think Dylan is a single father.
Irving is probably a group therapy leader from his ptsd and that's where he met mark. He could be trying to build a team of ppl that have nothing to lose (mark told him he lost his wife) and that's why he recruited him. Slowly trying to win him over.
Outie Irving could have recruited Mark, but not for Lumen's sake. He may have thought or at least hoped that Innie Mark could be useful inside, to Irving's investigation of Lumen.
@Nautilus, I love your reviews and theories. I don't know if your stated this already. I didn't see it in the Helly R video. I don't believe Helly R was supposed to be a refiner. Petey's disappearance was a complete surprise to everyone. There were only 4 desk and Mrs. Cobel had moved her desk to a new office. I think Helly was supposed to be a new supervisor role for Mrs. Cobel. which would make sense since she is related to whom she was related to. I wonder if Helly comes back to be a villain in the second season since she doesn't think innies are real people.
I found your channel by accident and it is interesting and since somehow I got hooked on this really weird show I'm subbing. lol
Car accident name reputation makes no sense because it implies outie mark knows she did that and their outies have been seen interacting together when he almost hit her with the car “keep your eyes on the icy road”
Can someone PLEASE recommend a TV series that will BLOW MY MIND like Severance did??
Silo is good also.
Westworld
Putting this out there to see if anyone gets it. Didn't "Ms Casey" said that she's only been alive for 170+hours, and the 8 hours she spent in MDR was her best time of her "life"? So, doing the calculation based on 9-5 working hours, and 5 days a week. She would've only been Ms Casey for not more than 2 months or so. So what happened between the accident and up until she's Ms Casey?
This is so well edited! Great video!
The party girl theory could also be supported by how quickly and eagerly she participates in the Music Dance Experience. She’s the only one who is really into it (other than Milchick).
I think all management could be innie personalities. But also possibly dead originally so their outies are technically dead. All the Mr and Ms personas could be either revived/rebuilt dead people or clones. Cobel had a medical device tube in that episode where she's at home worshipping Kier. The Ms Huang from season 2 was a crossing guard, possibly knocked down (speculation) and Ms Casey died. Love these theories!
She didn’t tell the board about Helly, that’s why Cobel gets fired.
Love these, it gives lots of ideas to wonder about
So i think mark and gemmas role is to see if they can trigger a memory between the two. Bc if luman tries to being back Keir, he would be his "innie" and not have his memories which would be point less. I also think the 4 main charcaters are told about the 4 personalities bc they are only four in their division, and to do the 'job' they are doing is by 'feeling' to find the right combo of people to unlock keir. I bet that has a lot to do with why hellie went in, bc they are close and they dont need any more people quitting or issues
Look at the functions list on the console. I feel they can just wipe anyone and start over as a way of keeping them as an asset Milchick says something to Mark along this line with the balloons in the trailer for season 2
also the severed workers are the product, their jobs are nonsense, it is a facility for proof of concept and experimentation on the severed to fine tune it for wide scale release.
YES I think this is very possible. I still wonder if possible extra terrestrial stuff is going on but that's just me wondering. lol Kobel says "take Gemma back to Experimentation or something like that so..yeah.
Is my tinfoil hat on too tight? I figured that Hell(y) R. Eagan is a metaphor for the Hell Reagan put the U.S. through and that is still in effect...
He wouldn’t have had to ID her body if he was there to confirm she was in the car.
Ive been on that helly theory train for a while. It makes so much sense. In the last episode when her innie is watching Helenas Interview for Lumon she literally says she didnt say the 9 principles WILLINGLY
meaning that she felt like it was a drag (to me at least i could be wrong yk)
but I think that alone is enough for me to just think that theres so much beyond the “I dont wanna say the 9 Lumon principles before bed dad”
Like sure I do definitely think that Helena was actually intrigued by her dads work and the severance chips themselves but I also kinda think that Helena was heavily manipulated into taking the Lumon job.
I feel like I just wemt from one thing to another ^^^ but I have adhd so my bad lol
Anyways….
I do think that Jame her father was absolutely not fully transparent about the insides of the job which I mean I think if my daughter was going to be working there I would at least tell her the possible consequences she could get herself into at least?
I mean Jame HAS to know that she was sent to the brrak room so early into starting there.
I just think that the last episode showing Helena was really all of Jame. (not the innie like all the interviews and stuff of her thats being shown)
Its late so this might just be one big ramble but I wanted to share my thoughts to see if anyone may see what Im trying to say or think the same😂😂😅
How can Irvig now about the test floor elevator door?
I am buying the party girl theory. The way the line is delivered sounds much more accusatory than worried.
i laughed so hard when helly r's response to being threatened with torture and nonexistence was "bitch i will kill you" when ben stiller went on about the comedy in his interviews he wasnt kidding 10/10 epic
when are we going to get season 2?
I had a fun theory about ir , but it fell apart.
I thought irv was played by the psychiatrist from M*A*S*H, so it was an inside joke that his dog is Radar....
But that actor died at 95, ten gears ago.
Which proves what ivttold people my whole life: i can't judge timee, distance,vweifht, etc and can't remember faces... let alone names....
As you were....
😂 This comment made my day.
It's incredible if this theory is true; the foreshadowing of Mark almost hitting Helly on his way out of Lumon in the first episode is remarkable.
Her being the cause of the car accident is nice but there is a scene (as you just shown) of them meeting in the parking lot. I’d think mark would show more anger towards her for causing the crash idk I’m sure he’d know who cause the crash not with just insurance but news “severance daughter causes car crash”
Edit: unless of course they are using severance to make them forget it ever happened
Best channel on TH-cam
Let's not forget that Mark almost ran into Helly in the parking lot after work....coincidence or not
I think its an interesting take on Helena, that she is actually not in high regard in the company, I found it really odd, that Natalie talked to her before the stage, like with child, like hit all the speech points and it wiil be ok. Like I suppose the director (or what her job title is in the outie world) would know whst to say and how to behave on stage??? Without this "encouraging tips"?
I always wondered what the hell going off the debend meant. Years later, I understood it was actually "deep end". Later still, I understood that it actually has to do with swimming pools. And now I am wondering how the hell can you go "off" the deep end. I can understand going in "in", but going "off" doesn't make any sense whatsoever. It must be the weirdest saying, it really throws me off the deep end.
wonder how the painting theory might work in with why Irving seems to be in some sort of loop. Maybe they restarted his consciousness after the first uprising
I think another theory is that Ricken’s “not-dinner” party friends are severed (but don’t know it?)The whole dinner talk is cringy and they are very submissive. Mark’s Outie is confrontational and doesn’t seem to mind to upset them. As an Innie his whole demeanor changes - in Helly’s introduction party (Melon Party) he is as cringy as the Ricken’s friends, submissive and awkwardly laughing. In this case he wants Helly to be submissive to Milchik (“he can’t always be nice like that”) while at the dinner party the friends are looking up to Ricken as the Alpha (which is odd). Plus - it really bugs me that Mark calls him “Rick” and he corrects him “Ricken” - in the first episode it looks like they don’t know each other that well, while in the last episode we find out that they vacationed all together. Which almost looks like he becomes Rick N at one point… Weird 😁
About the Helly-Gemma theory : in the first episode, when Mark almost runs Helly over in his car, she says : "Maybe keep your eyes on the icy road!" Exibit number 2...
This is far-fetched, but in the Lexington letters, Peggy almost crashes the bus because of black ice. She also "dies" in a car accident. So many car accidents, it can't be a coincidence.
yeah and Hellie enjoyed the “Defiant Jazz” dance party - definitely a rebel and party girl. No doubt about that one.
4:14 (puts on tinfoil hat)
it just clicked that those white roses are a nod to helly being someone of importance/of high status as well as being heavily associated with religion and religious figures in christianity
i kinda don’t doubt this small detail was intentional as well bc of how meticulous the art direction and production design
absolutely ridiculous and delicious
im really interested now and will be looking out in my next rewatch if red roses end up showing up with any other character as tie in to the war of the roses
Good observation there. I'm certain the color of the roses carries some significance. I'll look further into it and see what I can dig up. I'll give you a shout out if I find anything
the fonders are probably trying to acheve immortality by putting themself in other people and the work they do with number probably a way to see who is more compatible ? cant wait for season 2
On Helly's theory, when Mark and her saw eachother on the parking lot, she was carrying white flowers. She could be bringing them to ms. Caseys grave
I like the Helly/Gemma theory. The pieces do fit really well to make for a devastating twist in character development. The only thing that doesn’t quite match for me is the Lexington letter. This theory would imply that Gemma’s death was an accident (caused by party girl Helly driving drunk). Wasn’t there something in the book about other fatal car crashes related to Lumon employees that were under very suspicious circumstances? It paved the way for the theory that Gemma’s death was intentional, and caused by Lumon. It’s been over a year since I’ve read it or watched season 1 so I could be wrong, but that stood out to me. It’s also possible that it was a red herring, but it seems too big of a plot point in the ebook to be a misdirection. 🤔
Ha what I'm thinking after watching 15s of this vid is, I'm lost I need to watch this show again