‘Severance’ Creator Offers Insight Into Helly’s Season 2 Deception

The following contains spoilers for Severance Season 2, Episode 1.

After its extended hiatus, the first episode of Severance season two finally landed on Apple TV+ on January 17 — and it left many viewers scratching their heads when it comes to Helly. Thankfully, creator Dan Erickson shared some key insights into the mindsets of Helly and the other characters in the premiere in a new interview.

Speaking about the bombastic return with Variety, Erickson answered some burning questions about what viewers had just witnessed. As you may remember, last season’s finale found the group successfully glimpsing their outside lives using the Overtime Contingency. It was revealed that Helly’s outie is actually Helena Eagan, daughter of Lumon’s founding family and the face of the severance procedure itself. When the moment comes to confess this to her friends and coworkers, however, Helly decides to lie about her identity. When asked about why Helly lies to the rest of the Innies, Erickson said:

All of the characters were rattled by what they saw, in one way or another. And each of them has to make a decision when they come back as to how much of that they are willing or ready to share. Helly made the most horrifying discovery that she could have made — because she is, it turns out, what she hates the most. There’s a lot of shame that comes with that, and there is a concern that she won’t be accepted by her friends. She knows they all vilify the Eagans, and she is one. She doesn’t want to have to take on that baggage.

Erikson notes a growing camaraderie between the innies. However, Helly’s lie does not bode well for this tenuous dynamic. The innies already can’t trust their minds or their surroundings, but once they stop trusting each other, then the group will really be tested. If Helly’s lie is discovered, the revelation could be catastrophic to the group’s mission. The show seems to hint that Irving sensed something was not right with Helly’s story. However, he didn’t push the issue. (For now.)

Questions We Want Answered In Season 2

Severance follows Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower), Dylan (Zach Cherry), and Irving (John Turturro), who have all undergone the severance procedure — where a person’s conscience is divided, thus separating/concealing their personal lives from their professional ones. While working for Lumon Industries (the proprietors of this controversial tech), the employees have no memory of their outside lives, and identify themselves as the “innie” of their outer consciousness, while the “outie” (the person who exists outside the walls of Lumon) takes over once they are off the clock.

The season two premiere episode, titled “Hello, Ms. Cobel,” was written by Erikson and directed by Ben Stiller, and followed the innies as they returned to work after an unknown amount of passed time following the events of the Season 1 finale. While their severed minds make it difficult to say exactly how much time has passed, the time-jump between seasons is eventually explained.

Revelations from the Season 1 finale have posed more questions than answers, and viewers have had years to speculate about what will happen in Season 2. The innies are conflicted about how to proceed when presented with the option to leave Lumon, thus ceasing to exist, or continue on as employees. This season, fans are hoping to learn more about the purpose of Lumon and the severance procedure. After the group’s unauthorized overtime, the innies will have more eyes on them. Hopefully this will not prevent them from exploring more of the office layout.

Erickson teased the future of Ms. Cobel, who was fired, but later attended the Eagan gala, insinuating that behind the scenes there had been some corporate upheaval in Lumon’s management ranks. The trickle down impact of this change on the innies is sure to cause conflict. But how much? Furthermore, could all the reconstructing create opportunities for Ms. Cobel or other characters to seize power? Another character fans can’t wait to learn more about is Irving. It was revealed that his outie is investigating Lumon. The information he’s already gathered may hold some clues as to the sinister workings of the company. Irving’s skills at espionage, even while inside Lumon, seem formidable. It will be intriguing to see if Irving shares or withholds his findings with his fellow innies.

Audiences got some insight into the Eagan family, but there is clearly more to uncover. It remains to be seen why Helena Eagan decided to be severed and if she intended for Helly to be an undercover spy. Another huge mystery is Ms. Casey, a.k.a. outie Mark’s “dead” wife, Gemma. Innie Mark rushed to find her once he became aware of her real identity and returned to the office. When asked about his feelings towards Ms. Casey, Erickson explained that Mark feels a responsibility to his outie to help her — although how much he’s willing to do for her remains to be seen. Season 2 will hopefully include flashbacks or more context about what happened to Gemma, how everyone in the outside world could think she’s dead, and why she is at Lumon now.