Sumith Prasad
The second season finale of Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘Severance,’ titled ‘Cold Harbor,’ follows the aftermath of the meeting of Mark Scout and Harmony Cobel at the Damona Birthing Retreat. The former severed floor supervisor clarifies to the protagonist’s innie that they can save Gemma/Ms. Casey from the clutches of Lumon Industries if Cold Harbor hasn’t been completed yet. Her instructions place Mark on a perilous expedition that leads him to life-threatening challenges and surprising alliances. The show’s sophomore installment then concludes with a highly consequential decision he makes concerning the fate of his intricate existence! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Severance Season 2 Episode 10 Recap
‘Cold Harbor’ begins with Harmony Cobel and Devon Scout-Hale explaining the circumstances behind Gemma/Ms. Casey’s disappearance to Mark Scout’s innie. The former severed floor supervisor explains to his protagonist that his wife can be saved through the mysterious black hallway that is featured in Irving Bailiff’s paintings right after the completion of the “Cold Harbor” file. She further adds that the numbers Mark has been refining as an MDR division employee form a particular persona of Gemma. Cold Harbor is only one of the twenty-five files he has worked on, and they have formed twenty-five different innie versions of his wife.
Mark’s innie is not convinced about the plan to save Gemma since it can pave the way for the shutting down of Lumon Industries, which will cause the elimination of the existence of every innie. To persuade him, his outie makes a video explaining the need to embark on this dangerous expedition. Mark’s innie and outie then communicate with each other through several videos for a long while before the former ends up on the severed floor to complete the Cold Harbor file. He is greeted by Helly R., who is unsettled by a visit by Jame Eagan, who claims that he sees the essence of Kier Eagan in her.
After a discussion with Helly, Mark decides to save Gemma. After completing Cold Harbor, they plan to use the note containing the directions to the black hallway. However, after the file’s completion, Seth Milchick shows up to celebrate the occasion. He welcomes a marching band to the MDR office, and their performance stops the two refiners from proceeding with their plan to save Gemma. When she realizes that they cannot afford to wait, Helly distracts Milchick, giving Mark an opportunity to run towards the black hallway with the note. She succeeds in locking her manager up in a washroom, and when he tries to escape from the place, Dylan G. intervenes to help her.
Dylan G.’s jealous outie asks him to continue working for Lumon, provoking him enough to stop Milchick. Meanwhile, Mark accidentally runs into Mr. Drummond, who attacks him to stop him. Lorne, the head of the Mammalians Nurturable division, intervenes to save the severed employee from the hands of the enforcer. By then, Gemma is led to the Cold Harbor room to complete her final experiment before her planned death. Mark accidentally kills Drummond, uses the enforcer’s blood to open the room, and convinces Gemma to join him in escaping from the company’s headquarters.
Severance Season 2 Ending: Why Doesn’t Mark Leave With Gemma?
The second season of ‘Severance’ ends with Mark’s innie deciding to stay behind on the severed floor with Helly R. rather than leaving the Lumon headquarters with Gemma for his outie to regain their shared life as a couple. The decision is rooted in his unflinching love for Helly, which does not evaporate from him even after rescuing his outie’s wife. After Mark’s outie sets out to save Gemma, he scares the innie by saying that the latter’s only chance at survival and betterment is by departing from the company for good. The outie even adds that he cannot expect to end up together with Helly, who is actually their enemy, Helena Eagan.
This unignorable truth motivates Mark’s innie to put his existence on the line to save Gemma. However, after he fulfills his responsibility, he returns to Helly to cherish their time together before they are forced to be separated for good. The innie knows that it is only a matter of time before his partner becomes Helena, likely permanently. This realization may have inspired him to choose her over Gemma. Rather than abandoning his partner, Mark’s innie decides to stay beside Helly and hold their togetherness close to his heart through thick and thin. Even though this decision is highly consequential, it is not outrightly surprising.
Mark’s outie has evidently failed to convince his innie to prioritize Gemma over Helly or his existence on the severed floor. Although the former promises their reintegration to the latter, the innie has been unsure about the chances of such a procedure materializing. After all, Gemma is only Ms. Casey, a colleague, to the protagonist’s innie, who does not share any emotional or physical connection with him. As far as he is concerned, Helly is the one who puts her existence on the line to help him whenever he needs her. They have been treasuring an intensely emotional and physical companionship for quite a while for him to choose her over Ms. Casey.
Therefore, as hell breaks loose in Lumon, Mark’s innie seemingly wants to hold Helly’s hand and ensure that she won’t have to face the consequences of their actions alone. He also likely wishes to make sure that he gets to spend time with her as long as she exists the way he loves her. As far as he is concerned, he has done his part to save Gemma and fulfill his obligation to his outie, which liberates him to prioritize Helly.
Is Gemma Safe? Will She Escape From the Lumon Headquarters?
Mark’s innie chooses Helly over Gemma after ensuring that the latter leaves the severed floor to escape from the clutches of the Lumon officials. However, the second season finale does not confirm whether she is outrightly safe from the people who are after her. Gemma steps out from the severed floor after the emergency alarm is turned on at the headquarters, which may alert the security personnel at the building who are stationed elsewhere in the establishment. If that’s the case, walking away from the building may not be an easy endeavor for the protagonist’s wife.
Considering how ruthless and vicious the heads of Lumon have been, Gemma’s safety cannot be guaranteed. First of all, Mark’s decision to stay back on the severed floor with Helly slows down his outie’s wife, who remains at the door, crying for him. Many can track her and lock her up again as she remains stuck at the place. Even though Mark’s intervention jeopardizes her experiment for good, Gemma is a threat to the company. Her “resurrection” in the world beyond Lumon can raise questions against the firm, as the protagonist’s outie predicts earlier in the episode, guaranteeing the establishment’s closure.
To avoid such a development, which will eliminate the Eagan family’s legacy, the Lumon heads may try their best to capture Gemma. Even if she succeeds in escaping from the headquarters, she can never be completely safe if Lumon wants her back. From Harmony’s experiences, we know that the company has eyes and ears not only in Kier but also in the surrounding towns like Salt’s Neck. Thus, it may not be easy for Gemma to disappear from Lumon’s radar. Her only chance at survival may depend on Harmony and Devon, in case they are waiting for her and Mark in the parking lot of the company headquarters.
What Will Happen to Mark S. and Helly R.? Will the Innies Get Terminated?
The final shot of the second season depicts Mark S. and Helly R. running back to the main hallway of the severed floor. Even though the particular scene highlights their togetherness, what’s ahead for them may not let them hold hands forever. First of all, Helly is resurrected by the Lumon heads only to assist Mark in completing the Cold Harbor file. Now that it is done and the entire experiment is jeopardized, Helly becomes useless for the company. The minute she steps out of the severed floor, she will become Helena again, and the latter has no known reason to return to her innie persona willingly.
Therefore, Helly’s days are, more or less, numbered. Still, it may not mean that we have seen the last of the rebellious innie. Earlier in the episode, Jame Eagan tells her that he sees the essence of Kier in her, which is highly significant as far as her existence is concerned. Since the Lumon CEO does not see it even in her daughter, Helena, he may choose to preserve it within the innie persona. Mark’s fate within Lumon is more ambiguous. Now that he has completed all twenty-five files he is assigned, the company no longer needs him.
Since Mark’s innie and outie have gone against Lumon’s rules and interests to save Gemma, how the company will punish or deal with him remains to be seen. The firm may choose to eliminate the innie, which leaves behind only the outie. From Burt Goodman’s conversation with Irving in the ninth episode of the second installment, we know that Lumon has a history of banishing its employees to an unknown location, possibly to hurt, silence, or neutralize them. Considering these factors, Mark may need to try his best to escape from the company’s clutches before harm falls on him.
In a way, Mark and Helly’s rebellion to save Gemma seals the fate of the severance program. Even Dylan G., who is not directly involved in the mission to save Ms. Casey, turns against Lumon by helping Seth Milchick. Lorne’s fight against Mr. Drummond is another example that reveals how the company has lost its control and influence over its employees. Furthermore, Burt’s decision to turn against the company policies to let Irving escape also becomes a significant development while delving into the actions of active and retired innies. After these setbacks, Lumon may decide to eliminate the existing innies and terminate or revamp the severance program.
What is Inside Cold Harbor? What is the Significance of the Crib and the Efficacy Test?
After Mark S. completes the Cold Harbor file, Gemma is led to the room named after the document, where she finds a crib. She is watched by Jame Eagan, who is eager to know how well she completes the “efficacy test.” The experiment’s name reveals that the Lumon head and the company officials are trying to find out the result of the mysterious tests she has performed in the rest of the twenty-four rooms. The crib is highly significant to her since she has lost a baby because of a miscarriage. Gemma and Mark confronted the tragedy while waiting for their child with an unignorably similar crib.
While the reason behind Gemma’s involvement in these tests remains unknown, she most likely joined the program to become a mother. The crib in the Cold Harbor room can be seen as a representation of motherhood, which is closely associated with her. Jame and Dr. Mauer become satisfied when they watch her dismantle the same crib without any emotional reaction, which can also be seen as her separation from her wish to be a mother. If that’s really the case, the twenty-four previous tests she has participated in must have been aimed at altering her traits and characteristics to make her a new person altogether.
Even though the Gemma who enters these mysterious rooms becomes innies, they all share the same body. A physical body can have character traits that cannot be eliminated with the severance procedure or the creation of an innie. The aspiration to become a mother is likely one of them. The tests designed for her may have aimed to eliminate or replace these traits, which becomes evident in how she nonchalantly dismantles a crib. In other words, Gemma’s experiments or traits have possibly been focused on creating a new person within a single physical body.
From the premiere episode of ‘Severance,’ the Eagans, starting from Kier, are celebrated immensely. The family is unignorably focused on preserving their legacy, which is why the town and the establishments within the place are named after its members. It may not be a surprise if the current Lumon heads are trying to figure out whether it is possible to replace the particular characteristics of individuals with the traits of these late Eagans to resurrect them. Gemma can be seen as a lab rat used to investigate the viability of such a procedure through the twenty-five tests.
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