Sumith Prasad
The first episode of the second season of Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘Severance,’ titled ‘Hello, Ms. Cobel,’ revolves around the aftermath of the “rebellion” of the four Macrodata Refinement workers. The innies of Mark Scout, Dylan George, Helly Riggs (Helena Eagan), and Irving Bailiff join hands together again to decide whether or not to continue working at Lumon Industries. Surprisingly, their new floor supervisor, Seth Milchick, is not only friendly towards them but also offers perks to make their lives easier. Still, the four of them deal with questions and conflicts of their own, which are not easily answered or resolved! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mark S. Makes Three, Not Four, Friends
‘Hello, Ms. Cobel’ begins five months after the events in the first season finale. After the break, Mark returns to his workplace and rushes to the wellness department to meet Ms. Casey, who can be the innie of his wife, Gemma, only to find the entire division gone for good. After noticing a man in the hallway, he returns to his office and meets three new colleagues instead of his companions, Dylan, Helly, and Irving. His supervisor, Seth Milchick, clarifies to him that he and his three friends were celebrated as whistleblowers for five months after the night they used the overtime contingency system.
Mark insists on knowing what happened to Dylan, Helly, and Irving. Even though Milchick lets him know that they are not fired, the supervisor does not reveal any more details concerning their current whereabouts. He also adds to Mark that the latter is the only one who willingly returned to work, irrespective of the commotion he created with colleagues. With disappointment, he returns to his office and starts to get acquainted with his new co-workers, who are named Mark W., Gwendolyn Y., and Dario R. They are also introduced to Miss Huang, the new deputy manager of the floor. Even though she appears like a child, she holds immense power within the company, which she displays when Mark refers to her as a friend.
Mark expresses his happiness at having gained three friends during a bonding session. The pretend happiness does not last long as he tries to frame Mark W. by planting a message about Milchick in his coat. The move backfires as the supervisor does not take much time to discover that the protagonist wrote it. When he is confronted, Mark rushes to Milchick’s office, finds the speaker, and tries to talk to the board. His reckless actions are punished by his boss, who asks him to enter an elevator, which opens to another level. Soon, he is joined by Dylan, Irving, and Helly, who are led to the newly renovated break room.
Mark and His Colleagues Learn That Lumon is Listening!
Since the “break room” is primarily used to punish employees, Mark, Dylan, Helly, and Irving are surprised to see a different setup inside the same. Milchick welcomes them to the room with a warm smile and lets them know that they are brought to the place to show them a video. The supervisor promises to the four employees that every innie joining their company will be shown the same so that they can decide whether or not to work for Lumon. The video mainly revolves around a personified version of the company, which offers employees incentives and perks, ranging from new snacks in the wending machine to activities like pineapple bobbing.
The video is shown to the four employees to convince them that Lumon is listening to their concerns and suggestions. They are further informed that there is no surveillance inside the renovated break room, which gives them the courage to discuss their experiences during the overtime contingency after Milchick leaves. Mark reveals that he saw the wellness counselor, Ms. Casey, as Gemma in his outie’s wedding photos. Irving speaks next and warns others that the world outside is not the same. Helly lies to her colleagues, saying nothing remarkable happened in her life.
Helly intentionally hides that she is none other than the daughter of Jame Eagan, the current CEO of Lumon Industries. She must be fearing that she will lose the support or trust of her colleagues if she reveals her true identity. Her efforts to hide who she is are met with questions by Irving, which leaves her astounded. Still, the meeting ends without the three men learning that their colleague is an Eagan.
Mark, Dylan, Helly, and Irving Decide to Stay
After Milchick informs Mark, Dylan, Helly, and Irving that they are free to continue working or leave the company altogether, the group starts to think about their future. Helly clarifies that she is adamant about not leaving, while Mark plans to depart to find Gemma/Casey. After she listens to his plan, she tells him that he does not owe anything to his outie and the latter’s relationships. Helly believes that Mark should stay in the company and look for Casey rather than resolve the predicament involving his outie and Gemma. Following her words, the protagonist decides against resigning from the work.
Similarly, Dylan convinces Irving to stay when the latter sets out to leave Lumon. He does not want to work for the company anymore, especially since Burt is no longer there. As far as he is concerned, he is happy to put an end to his existence as an innie and be done with the pain of missing the love of his life. Dylan stops him from making such a harsh decision because the former is not ready to lose a friend like the latter. The star employee of the Macrodata Refinement department reminds Irving that Burt wouldn’t have wanted this particular version of the worker he fell in love with to cease to exist.
Finally, Irving decides against leaving the company. He returns to his office with several questions and uncertainties, which include ones concerning the paintings he has drawn repeatedly. While he settles back in his office, Milchick introduces Dylan to the blueprint of a special room for severed employees with families. The supervisor lets his subordinate know that he shouldn’t disclose any information concerning the room to his colleagues, especially since they do not have families to enjoy the resources at the place. The four original workers at the department then move on from their past for a second and immerse themselves in their work.
Mark makes progress in an assignment, only for the closing scene of the episode to cut to a computer screen concerning the mysterious “Cold Harbor.” The window features an image of Casey, which indicates that she most likely remains a part of Lumon Industries. Furthermore, her and Mark’s assignments or data have several common pieces of information, displaying a connection between both of them. We may need to patiently wait to find out whether the progress the protagonist makes as an MDR employee hurts or harms Gemma/Casey in any way.
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