Warning: The following contains spoilers for Severance Seasons 1 and 2
Severance certainly has no shortage of compelling characters, from Mark S. (Adam Scott) and his fellow MDR Innies, to the creepily devout Ms. Cobel (Patricia Arquette), to the cheerily intimidating Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman). Series creator Dan Erickson and his fellow writers have done an excellent job crafting a group of people who keep viewers coming back week after week; at the end of the day, the show’s many intriguing mysteries wouldn’t amount to much if the audience didn’t care about the characters experiencing them.
Every Severance fan likely has their favorite character to root for (or against), and season two has already given viewers a bit more information about their lives outside the walls of Lumon Industries. But while all the characters have interesting arcs beginning to take shape in the second season, one stands out for being particularly compelling and rich with potential. That would be Helly R. (Britt Lower), known to the outside world as Helena Eagan, part of the mysterious Eagan family who founded Lumon and the surrounding town. Episode 2, “Goodbye, Mrs. Selvig,” gave viewers their clearest look yet at her life outside the severed floor, and it’s shaping up to be a pretty exciting battle of Innie vs. Outie.
Severance
- Release Date
-
February 18, 2022
- Showrunner
-
Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman
- Directors
-
- Writers
-
Dan Erickson
Cast
-
Mark Scout -
Britt LowerHelly Riggs -
Zach CherryDylan George -
Tramell TillmanSeth Milchick
Helena vs. Helly
At this point in the series, Mark’s Innie and Outie seem the most in-sync, with the Outie looking into Lumon’s shady dealings and the Innie looking for ways to bring it down from the inside. But Helly is a very different story. Viewers first meet Helena at the end of Season 1, when the Innies enact their plan to activate the “Overtime Contingency” that allows them to awaken in the outside world. Conveniently, it happens just when Helena’s about to go onstage and give a speech about her severance experience, the perfect avenue to expose the reality of life on the severed floor.
Season 2 showed us the aftermath of that event, where Helena has to save face for the company, blaming her outburst on an unfortunate drug interaction. Episode 2 provides a look at who Helena Eagan is, and it’s a pretty stark contrast to her Innie. Her Outie seems to be a true believer in her family’s cause, with a cold and calculating demeanor that shows nothing of the rebellious spirit of her severed self. Helena was clearly willing to undergo the severance procedure in order to put a positive public face on the process, and while it’s unclear if this was entirely her idea, so far there’s been little indication that she’s anything but an Eagan through and through.
This sets up a potentially rich vein of drama for the series to explore, as Innie Helly seems determined to continue finding ways to undermine Lumon from the inside, even more so after finding out the truth about her Outie self. Helena effectively has no control over what Helly does while on the severed floor, and Helly shows no signs of wanting to just let things go back to normal. It’s still not clear exactly why Helly decided not to tell her colleagues the truth about her experience on the outside, but it’s essentially the worst case scenario for her. Not only is her Outie a supporter of severance, but she’s part of the family that made it happen. This knowledge has only seemed to make Helly more determined to break things.
Related
‘Severance’ Season 2 Is Brutally Skewering This Phony Corporate Practice
The Ben Stiller series isn’t holding back in its satire of the modern corporate world.
Inner and Outer Selves
Helly/Helena’s story is a microcosm of one of Severance’s most potent themes: identity, and what makes a person who they are. The Outies and Innies are effectively two distinct consciousnesses sharing one body, but this doesn’t necessarily make them the same person. This dichotomy is laid out in Mark and Helly’s walk-and-talk in episode one, where they discuss what to do about Miss Casey, who Mark recently learned is actually his Outie’s (apparently) dead wife Gemma. Mark’s Innie doesn’t have any particular feelings for Miss Casey, but still wants to find her for his Outie’s sake, because they’re the “same…ish person.” Helly pushes back, saying that they’re not the same, and that the Innies don’t owe anything to the people they are on the outisde.
Related
The ‘Severance’ Season 2 Fan Theories Are Starting to Run Wild
‘Severance’ has always been mysterious and weird, but the newest season leans into those notions even more, which means fans are reeling.
Helly draws a firm line between her Innie and Outie self, and in her case, it’s hard to argue. Armed with the knowledge of exactly who her Outie is and what she stands for, Helly can see no commonality between her and a person who feels like her exact opposite. It’s a fascinating dynamic, and makes Helly the character with the most at stake. She decides to keep fighting, even with the knowledge that her Outie could easily make her not exist any time she wants. While all the Innies’ lives are completely at the mercy of their Outies, Helena seems the most likely to conclude her time on the severed floor if given a reason.
Beyond being an extremely compelling mystery show, Severance has one of the richest and most thought-provoking stories on TV, and one of the best casts. Erickson and the rest of the team no doubt have many more surprises in store, but so far in this second season, their most interesting conflict is taking place within a single character.
Your comment has not been saved