The psychological thriller “Severance,” which debuted on Feb. 18, 2022, offers psychological thrilling twists that sever reality with each episode.
With only four episodes so far, “Severance” season two continues to release episodes weekly on Fridays at 12 A.M. PT/3 A.M. ET.
New to “Severance”? Here’s a full breakdown of the manipulation that happened inside and outside of Lumon Industries control.
The series gets its title from a fictional medical procedure that the characters undergo at Lumon Industries– a powerful biotechnology firm, founded in 1985 by Kier Eagan. Since then, leaders of Lumon Industries have only been in the Eagan family, which is central to the plot.
Employees hired at Lumon have a chip surgically implanted in their heads while under local anesthesia.
This chip “severs” their consciousness into two separate identities: an “Innie,” one who exists solely at work, and an “Outie,” one that retains all personal memories, but unaware of their life at Lumon.
Beginning life as an Innie, you wake up on a table in a liminal space-esque conference room. You have no recollection of who or where you are or how you got there.
Each employee has different purposes for being severed. However, for Lumon Industries, the underlying reason is ensuring that what happens at Lumon stays strictly confidential.
The story mainly follows Mark S. (Adam Scott), a two year employee in the Macro Data Refinement (MDR) department at Lumon. Outside of the office, Mark is a depressed, widowed alcoholic. Mark decided to sever himself so he could temporarily live without the pain from his life, costing his autonomy.
The Cult-Like Control at Lumon Industries
Since Kier Eagan’s retirement at Lumon Industries, leadership has all been Eagans, keeping their control domestic.
Within Lumon Industries, the Eagan bloodline looks up to Kier, making him out to be some sort of “divine being,” almost like God himself, causing the employees to give him that same utmost respect.
Dehumanization at Lumon
The moment Innies are created, they are stripped of their identity.
Innies are basically newborns, and they are treated as such within the company.
Rewards for completing tasks are infantilizing, ranging from cheap chinese finger traps to wild rituals, such as “waffle parties” (eating waffles alone in a dark room following a BDSM-orgy with masked figures).
There aren’t many personal aspects to these “rewards” whatsoever, reinforcing the feelings of dehumanization, especially as these “rewards” get repetitive.
More than that, Innies have no control over their employment, and are treated poorly as such.
Eagans believe that innies aren’t actual human beings, meaning they aren’t permitted to make decisions for themselves.
If an Innie wishes to resign, they have to put in a request. That request is later sent to their Outie, which is typically denied. In the worst cases, these requests aren’t sent at all, leaving the Innies stuck in their cycle of submission.
Psychological Torture in the Break Room
One of Lumon’s worst punishments is being sent to the Break Room.
Despite the name, the Break Room is not meant for rest and refreshments. Employees are sent here for misbehaving, forced to repeat the following statement: “Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me, and only in me shall their stain move on. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.”
This process lasts until the Innies psychologically believe they have something to be sorry for– sometimes lasting for hours or even days.
The Break Room is designed to take everything out of the Innies– leaving them drained, compliant and completely self-deprecated.
Lack of Ethics and Free Will at Lumon
One of the most key members of the MDR department is Helly Riggs, known as Helly R.
The most shocking examples of the lack of free will at Lumon come from Riggs, who has done everything in her power to leave since the moment she arrived.
Unlike her coworkers, Riggs repeatedly demands that her questions are answered about how she arrived at Lumon.
Riggs refuses to accept her circumstances and makes multiple escape attempts, ranging from violent outbursts at Mark to a suicide attempt.
Unbeknownst to herself and her coworkers, Riggs’ Outie life is far more complicated than meets the eye.
Outside of the office, Riggs is actually Helena Eagan, a member of Lumon Industries’ ruling family. Eagan decides to share to the world what it’s like being severed, treating it almost like an experiment.
Riggs constantly pleads with her Outie, Eagan, to release her. Instead of hearing her concerns, Riggs retaliates with a video message stating,“You don’t get to make decisions about your life. You’re not a real person.”
This video reveals a dark truth to Riggs: No matter what Riggs does, she will never gain full control of her life. Decisions made about herself can only come from the Eagan empire because she “doesn’t exist” in the real world.
Innies have no free will, and all of their decisions are made by their Outies or Lumon Industries itself.
Constant Surveillance
Almost every aspect of life for Innies is monitored at Lumon.
Each shift in Season 1 of “Severance,” Innies are constantly watched, leaving them with no privacy.
Privacy is only obtained by cramming into the bathroom, or storage closets– where Mark S., Helly R., Irving B. and Dylan G. huddle together to conspire and plan without fear of being listened to or watched.
As Season two continues to unfold, viewers are left wondering: Can the Innies ever reclaim their freedom? And just how deep does Lumon’s control go?
