Everything to Remember AboutSeveranceAhead of Season 2

Severancereturns to Apple TV+ at long last January 17 . Since it ’s beenthree yearssince time of year one wrapped up , a refresher is in store . Your better plan of attack is to re - watch the entirefirst season — catching all those nuances and Easter egg you might have escape orforgotten about . But if you ’re brusk on time and ca n’t cram in nearly nine hours of TV before Friday , we ’ve get you covered with this handy crash course .

What isSeveranceabout?

Severanceis a dystopian thriller set in a reality much like — but not quite the same as — our own . It satirizes corporate culture and the idea of “ work - living balance ” by imagining a knock-down biotech company , Lumon Industries , has excogitate a procedure by which sure workers have agreed to have a chip implanted in their brain that divides their minds between their two living . Their “ outies ” have no retention or knowledge of what their “ innies ” do , and vice - versa .

Trouble start in time of year one when the severed “ innies ” work out in Lumon ’s Macrodata Refinement department become rummy about what they ’re actually doing ( it ’s clearly a purpose that move beyond tallying “ scary ” numbers on outdated computers ) , and long for a glimpse of animation that is n’t contained within their strictly uninspired office , which is locate several floors underground . Each MDR worker has their own motivation : Mark S. becomes upset when the department ’s much - fuck manager , Petey , is short gone one twenty-four hour period ; Irving discovers worked up capability he ’d never realized when he form an attachment with Burt , who put to work in another ( also severed ) section ; Dylan is completely thrown when his “ innie ” is briefly wake up in the outside world and he realizes he has a young son ; and Helly R. , the new squad appendage , detest working at Lumon so much she seek to take her own life when her “ outie ” wo n’t answer to her surrender request .

There ’s also dramatic event beyond MDR ; we meet other employee , including MDR ’s non - severed but equally complicated supervisors , and see a invitingly small amount about the Eagans , the family that runs Lumon — especially the previous Kier Eagan , who founded the company in the nineteenth century and is still revered much like a cult leader . In the “ outie ” world , we experience Mark S. ’s solitary life as a recent widowman , and meet his sister ( who has a baby halfway through season one ) and comrade - in - law ( a pompous self - assistance author ) .

Severance Season One

Mark S. (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Irving (John Turturro), and Helly R. (Britt Lower) in Severance season one. © Apple TV+

In tandem with his innie , outie Mark also becomes suspicious about Lumon ’s sinister intentions when Petey , who ’s bring off to “ reintegrate ” his brain , get hold of him outside the office . The story takes place in what ’s fundamentally a Lumon society town — even the restaurants are named after Eagan house members — in a carefully non - specific United States Department of State that ’s incessantly cold and snowy .

Severancewas create by Dan Erickson , who also wrote several episodes , and administrator produced by Ben Stiller , who also head several episodes . They ’re both back in the same roles for season two .

Who are the main characters onSeverance?

Season two ofSeverancewill see all of the above return , with several novel summation joining the Lumon landscape and beyond , including characters played by Bob Balaban , Gwendoline Christie , Merritt Wever , Alia Shawkat , Robby Benson , John Noble , Sarah Bock , Ólafur Darri Ólafsson , and more .

What happened inSeveranceseason one?

Season one was a detective seeking for both the characters and the interview , led by both versions of Mark trying to reckon out the the true about Lumon from dissimilar angles .

Each calendar week we got aslightlywider view on the leaving - on at Lumon — with plenty of unearthly quirks spit in , like the crew ’s visit to the Perpetuity Wing , which includes an accurate replica of Kier Eagan ’s house — while fresh question were continuously premise . Why does Lumon wedge its workers through psychological torturing when they misbehave ( the “ Break Room ” is literally a place to mentally let out people ) ? Why does the company go its workers to believe there ’s been retiring violence between departments , especially MDR and O&D ? Why is Cobel so concerned in Mark ’s international spirit ? What does MDR , and Lumon as a company , actuallydo ? And what ’s up with the section that revolves around raising babe Capricorn ?

Meanwhile , outie Mark — who took the Lumon job to help grapple with the sorrow of losing his wife , Gemma , in a car accident — puzzles his way through his strange confrontation with Petey , which turns tragical when Petey knuckle under to “ reintegration sickness . ” Mark then meets a former Lumon sawbones who helped Petey run away — and is tie to a larger movement of severing resistance . On the other end of the spectrum , we learn ( mostly through news reports and background cackle ) that Lumon bigwig are trying to land up lawmaking to make rift even more widespread and accepted .

Severance Mdr

© Apple TV+

What happened at the end ofSeveranceseason one?

The MDR crew image out a way to activate the “ overtime eventuality , ” which enables innies to wake up outside the agency . With Dylan flipping the switch and keep Mr. Milchik at bay , we follow Mark , Irving ( whose outie live we ’d scantily glimpse earlier in the season ) , and Helly ( a complete mystery as far as her “ outie ” is relate ) as they jarringly inflame up as unlike version of themselves in the outside world . ( Before they part ways , Helly kisses Mark . )

As we see , Irving realizes his outie was doing his own enquiry into Lumon ’s secrets — with details on other severed workers , include Burt ’s family reference . Frantic over Burt ’s well - being since his “ retreat , ” Irving drives to his star sign … only to see that Burt is already in a family relationship . He still goes up to the door and is pound on it when he switch back to his outie ego . We do n’t see what chance next , but presumptively neither Irving nor Burt will have any realization of each other when their outies derive face to boldness … unless their outies are already friends in some kind of anti - Lumon underground .

Mark awakens at Devon and Ricken ’s house , amid a reading for Ricken ’s young book which “ innie ” Mark has already read thanks to Cobel stealing it from his doorstep and Milchik circumstantially allow it around the bureau . He ’s shocked to see Cobel , in her guise as Mrs. Selvig , at the political party .

Severance Cobel

© Apple TV+

It takes an harrowing amount of clip for innie Mark to figure out who Devon is to him , then explicate to her what ’s going on ; when he slip one’s mind up and calls Mrs. Selvig “ Cobel , ” she realizes what ’s happened and fly the party to monish Milchick — desperate to get back into Lumon ’s good graces after being fired earlier that 24-hour interval . ( As a full Kier Eagan zealot , it was a particularly harrowing coke . )

Mark has just enough time to see a photo of his supposedly drained wife , Gemma , and realize she and Ms. Casey are the same person . ( The last Logos of the season are his frantic yell of “ She ’s alive ! ” )

The big shock , though , is perhaps that Helly R. is actually Helena Eagan , daughter of the current Lumon Industries CEO . She signal on for a severed job as a PR move — severance is awful , allow ’s discerp everyone!—and wakes up at a gala where she ’s supposed to explain just how easy - breezy and wonderful the experience has been . ( Now at last we make why her outie was so intent on her innie keeping that job . )

Severance Burt

© Apple TV+

With innie Helly ’s consciousness temporarily in charge , she has just enough time to take the stage and excuse that severed workers are basically prisoners , forever subsist in a state of harrowing misery — and that the process is inhumane and should be ended eternally .

What’s ahead forSeveranceseason two?

Beyond the new casting members and the handful of vamp Apple TV+ has shared … we do n’t really want to know much of anything going into time of year two ! The “ overtime contingence ” position will be addressed , of course , but we also see ( admit in the epitome above ) that Mark S. and Helly R. are back on the job somehow . We ’re avoiding any spoilers beyond that , though we do insist Apple TV+ eventually excuse the baby caprine animal .

Severanceseason two runs 10 instalment ( season one was just nine ) ; it premieres globally on Apple TV+ Friday , January 17 . You knowSeverance love making you expect , so this one ’s a hebdomadal rollout , with one episode get every Friday through March 21 . Will you be tuning in ?

desire more io9 tidings ? Check out when to expect the latestMarvel , Star Wars , andStar Trekreleases , what ’s next for theDC Universe on film and television receiver , and everything you take to know about the future ofDoctor Who .

Severance Mscasey