Apple TV+’s science fiction series ‘Severance’ has its second season finale titled ‘Cold Harbor.’ The episode tracks the consequences of the encounter between Mark Scout and Harmony Cobel at the Damona Birthing Retreat. The ex-severed floor supervisor explains to the protagonist’s innie that they can rescue Gemma/Ms. Casey from the clutches of Lumon Industries if Cold Harbor has not yet been finished. Her commands put Mark on a dangerous mission that takes him to life-or-death obstacles and unexpected partnerships. The sophomore season of the show then concludes with a very fateful choice he makes regarding the destiny of his complicated life! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Severance Season 2 Episode 10 Recap
‘Cold Harbor’ starts with Harmony Cobel and Devon Scout-Hale narrating the circumstances of Gemma/Ms. Casey’s disappearance to Mark Scout’s innie. The ex-floor supervisor describes to his protagonist that his wife can be rescued by the enigmatic black corridor that is depicted in Irving Bailiff’s works immediately after he finished the “Cold Harbor” file. She also continues that the numbers Mark has been perfecting as an employee of the MDR division construct a certain character of Gemma. Cold Harbor is just one of the twenty-five files he has worked on, and they have created twenty-five various innie versions of his wife.
Mark’s innie is not assured about the plan to rescue Gemma as it can open the door to the closing down of Lumon Industries and will result in the erasure of the life of every innie. To convince him, his outie creates a video justifying the necessity to go on this perilous adventure. Mark’s innie and outie then talk to one another in a series of videos for a considerable amount of time before the former finds himself on the chopped floor to finish the Cold Harbor file. He is welcomed by Helly R., who is perturbed by Jame Eagan’s visit, who says he sees the spirit of Kier Eagan in her. Upon a chat with Helly, Mark decides to rescue Gemma. Upon completion of Cold Harbor, they intend to apply the note that has the instructions to the black hallway. Upon completion of the file, however, Seth Milchick appears to mark the occasion. He invites a marching band to the MDR office, and their act prevents the two refiners from going through with their plan to rescue Gemma. When she understands that they do not have time to wait, Helly distracts Milchick, allowing Mark to make a dash for the black hallway with the note. She manages to trap her manager in a washroom, and when he attempts to flee from the premises, Dylan G. comes to her rescue. Dylan G.’s envious outie requests him to keep working for Lumon, angering him enough to intervene and halt Milchick. Mark, on his part, happens to bump into Mr. Drummond, who attacks him to prevent him. Lorne, who is the chief of the Mammalians Nurturable department, appears to rescue the amputated employee from the clutches of the enforcer. Gemma is taken to the Cold Harbor room by then to finish her last experiment before she is set to die. Mark kills Drummond unintentionally, applies the blood of the enforcer to open the room, and persuades Gemma to follow him out of the company headquarters.
Severance Season 2 Conclusion: Why Doesn’t Mark Depart With Gemma?
The ending of ‘Severance’ season 2 shows Mark’s innie choosing to remain on the severed floor with Helly R. instead of leaving the headquarters of Lumon with Gemma to retrieve his outie and restore their life together as a couple. The choice stems from his unshakable affection for Helly, which does not disappear from him even after saving his outie’s wife. Following Mark’s outie’s departure to save Gemma, he frightens the innie by informing the latter that her only hope for survival and improvement is by leaving the company forever. The outie even suggests he cannot hope to be with Helly, their actual nemesis, Helena Eagan.
This irrefutable fact inspires Mark’s innie to risk his life in order to rescue Gemma. But once he has done his duty, he goes back to Helly to enjoy the time they spent together before they have to be parted forever. The innie realizes that it is only a matter of time when his partner turns into Helena, most probably permanently. This could have motivated him to prefer her over Gemma. Instead of deserting his partner, Mark’s innie chooses to remain next to Helly and keep their relationship close to his heart thick and thin. Although this action is very consequential, it is not necessarily unexpected. Mark’s outie has clearly failed to persuade his innie to put Gemma ahead of Helly or his presence on the amputated floor. Even though the former has vowed their reunification to the latter, the innie has remained doubtful about the possibility of such surgery coming into being. After all, Gemma is merely Ms. Casey, a co-worker, to the protagonist’s innie, with whom he has no emotional or physical bonding whatsoever. As much as it concerns him, Helly is the one who risks her life to assist him whenever he requires it. They have been enjoying a deeply passionate and emotional companionship for some time now for him to opt for her over Ms. Casey. Thus, when hell erupts in Lumon, Mark’s innie apparently wants to take Helly’s hand and make sure she does not go through the ramifications of their deeds by herself. He also apparently wants to ensure he spends time with her for as long as she lives the way he wishes her to. As much as he is concerned, he has fulfilled his duty of saving Gemma and honoring his commitment to his outie, freeing him to put Helly first.
Is Gemma Safe? Will She Escape From the Lumon Headquarters?
Mark’s innie prioritizes Helly at the expense of Gemma after making sure the latter escapes from the hands of the Lumon authorities through the severed floor. But the second season finale does not make known for sure whether she is directly safe from those after her. Gemma exits from the chopped floor off after the alarm for emergency is activated at the headquarters, which can alert the security officials at the building who are on duty elsewhere in the complex. If so, leaving the building might not be a straightforward task for the protagonist’s wife.
In light of how cruel and brutal the heads of Lumon have acted, Gemma cannot be assured of safety. To start with, Mark’s going ahead with waiting at the mutilated floor with Helly delays his outie’s wife, who is still at the entrance, wailing for him. Most of them can trace her and imprison her once again since she is still trapped at the location. Although Mark’s interference ruins her experiment once and for all, Gemma is dangerous to the company. Her “resurrection” in the outside world can raise suspicions against the firm, something foreseen by the protagonist’s outie earlier in the episode, as a promise of closure for the establishment. In an attempt to prevent such a turn of events, one that will erase the reputation of the Eagan family, the Lumon executives will do their best to apprehend Gemma. Even if she manages to escape from headquarters, she can never be fully secure if Lumon desires to bring her back. We have learned from Harmony’s ordeal that the corporation has eyes and ears not just in Kier but also in neighboring towns such as Salt’s Neck. Therefore, it might not be simple for Gemma to vanish from Lumon’s sight. Her survival hopes may lie with Harmony and Devon, if they are planning on waiting for her and Mark in the company headquarters parking lot.
What Becomes of Mark S. and Helly R.? Will the Innies be Terminated?
The last shot of the second season shows Mark S. and Helly R. running back to the central corridor of the cut floor. Although the specific scene emphasizes how they stick together, things down the road for them might not allow them to hold hands for all eternity. In the first place, Helly is brought back to life by the Lumon heads simply to help Mark finish the Cold Harbor file. Since it’s done and the whole experiment is now in jeopardy, Helly is no longer needed for the company. The moment she exits the cut-off floor, she will be Helena once more, and the latter has no known motivation to go back to her innie self voluntarily.
Thus, Helly’s time is, in a way, counted. However, that might not mean we have witnessed the last of the rogue innie. Earlier in the episode, she informs Jame Eagan that he can see the core of Kier in her, which is extremely important as far as her being is concerned. As the Lumon CEO cannot perceive even in her daughter Helena, he might opt to retain it in the innie personality. The fate of Mark within Lumon is not clearer. Since he has now finished all twenty-five files he is tasked with, the company no longer requires him. Now that Mark and his innie and outie have defied Lumon’s regulations and interests in order to save Gemma, how the company will punish or handle him only time will tell. The company might decide to do away with the innie, leaving only the outie behind. From Burt Goodman’s interview with Irving in episode nine of season two, we understand that Lumon has a past record of sending its workers to an unnamed place, most likely to harm, silence, or disable them. With these aspects in mind, Mark might have to do his best to escape from the hands of the company before it gets injured. In a sense, Mark and Helly’s uprising to rescue Gemma confirms the fate of the severance program. Even Dylan G., who is indirectly part of the operation to rescue Ms. Casey, joins the rebellion against Lumon by assisting Seth Milchick. Lorne’s battle against Mr. Drummond is yet another case that shows the way the company has lost grip and authority over its members. In addition, Burt’s choice of turning against the company rules to let Irving go away is also a major turn of events while exploring the actions of active and retired innies. Following these failures, Lumon can choose to get rid of the current innies and end or rework the severance program.
What is Inside Cold Harbor? What is the Significance of the Crib and the Efficacy Test?
Following Mark S. finishes the Cold Harbor file, Gemma is taken to the room which takes its name from the document, and finds herself in a crib. She is observed by Jame Eagan, who is curious about how well she passes the “efficacy test.” The name of the experiment indicates that both the Lumon head and the company authorities are attempting to discover what the outcome has been of the enigmatic tests she has conducted in the remaining twenty-four rooms. The crib is deeply important to her because she has lost a baby due to a miscarriage. Gemma and Mark faced the tragedy awaiting their child with an unignorable identical crib.
Although the cause of Gemma’s participation in the these tests is unknown, she probably enrolled in the program in order to become a mother. The Cold Harbor room crib can be interpreted as a symbol of motherhood, which is identified with her. Jame and Dr. Mauer are content when they see her disassemble the same crib without any emotional response, something which can also be interpreted as leaving behind her desire to be a mother. If that’s actually the fact, the twenty-four earlier tests that she has undergone must have been intended for changing her habits and characteristics to transform her into an entirely different person. Although the Gemma entering these enigmatic rooms turns into innies, they all exist within the same body. A physical body may possess character traits impossible to get rid of through the severance procedure or the development of an innie. The desire to be a mother is probably one of them. The experiments conducted for her could have sought to eradicate or substitute these characteristics, something made apparent in her effortlessly disassembling a crib. That is, Gemma’s experiments or characteristics could have been centered on developing a new individual inside one physical body. From the first episode of ‘Severance,’ the Eagans, beginning with Kier, are celebrated greatly. The family is not overlookingly intent on living up to their legacy that is why the town and businesses within the area are named after its members. It will not be a surprise if the current heads of Lumon are attempting to know if it is possible to substitute the unique qualities of individuals with the qualities of these deceased Eagans to bring them back to life. Gemma can be understood as a lab rat employed to examine the feasibility of such a treatment through the twenty-five tests. Read More: Cold Harbor, Explained
