Severance Season 2 Ending Explained: What Happens After THAT Cliffhanger?

The final episode of Severance Season 2 challenges fans to keep their tempers in check as Outie Mark (Adam Scott) reaches out to Mark S., hoping together they can save Gemma (Dichen Lachman) from the horrors of the Testing Floor. As expected, the second season finale has a lot of woe and dread, as people on both sides of the Severed Floor elevator face the malice at Lumon and work to take an empire down. Surprisingly, though, the final episode of Season 2 also has its fair share of frolic, staying true to the dark comedy roots of the show. While the pacing of the season divided fans, the final episode makes it all worthwhile by tying up multiple loose ends while leaving the door open for a deranged third season.

WARNING: Spoilers below for Severance Season 2, Episode 10

With a 76-minute runtime, “Cold Harbor” is the lengthiest episode of Severance yet. It explains what happens to Dylan G. (Zach Cherry) after they filed a dismissal request and even nods at the disturbing purpose of the Mammalians Nurturable department. However, more importantly, Severance Season 2 frees Gemma from her basement prison and sets Mark S. on a dangerous journey at Lumon. There’s a lot to break down, so let’s discuss every major event and revelation of Severance Season 2, Episode 10.

Mark S. and Outie Mark Have a Heartfelt Conversation

Picking up where Episode 9 left us, the Severance Season 2 finale uses the severed birth cabin to bring Mark S. into the outside world. With the help of a video camera, Outie Mark and Mark S. step in and out of the cabin’s threshold, flipping the severance switch inside their brains to send messages to each other. Through Outie Mark’s recording, Mark S. learns that finishing the Cold Harbor file will lead to Gemma’s final test and her death. That means they must act quickly once the file is complete and Lumon’s guard is down. 

Outie Mark lays out the plan to rescue Gemma, explaining Mark S. must find the elevator to the Testing Floor. Once the elevator goes down, the severance chip will bring Outie Mark inside Lumon to track Gemma down and send her up to the Severed Floor. Then, it’s up to Mark S. again to lead Gemma to the exit stairs. While Outie Mark’s plan is solid, Mark S. worries about the daring heist’s consequences. Once Gemma is freed from Lumon, she can serve as a whistleblower to take down the entire operation. That means ending the severance initiative and killing all innies.

[RELATED: Severance Season 2 Reveals Who Created the Memory-Splitting Technology (And Why)]

As Mark S. explains, while life on the Severed Floor is brutal, that’s still his life, and he’s uncomfortable with sacrificing every innie on the planet to save Gemma’s life. Outie Mark tries to argue that reintegration will allow their personalities to merge. Still, Mark S. is unconvinced. First, because Outie Mark can’t explain the reintegration process — as he also doesn’t know much about it. Then, even if reintegration is flawless, there’s no way Helena Eagen (Britt Lower) would ever merge with Helly R. So, by helping Outie Mark, Mark S. would sacrifice the love of his life.

This emotionally charged discussion reaches no satisfying conclusion, with Mark S. threatening to allow Gemma to die if he doesn’t wake up on the Severed Floor. Still, it illustrates the moral conundrums at the core of Severance. The show has established that innies are people with their own personalities and aspirations. Yet, on the outside, outies still struggle to see innies as equal, even in the case of someone as enlightened about the whole ordeal as Outie Mark.

Dylan G. Comes to Terms With His Outie

At the end of Episode 9, Dylan G. decides to quit his job after Outie Dylan learns about his innie affair with his wife, Gretchen (Merritt Wever). To save their marriage, Gretchen chooses not to visit Dylan G. at Lumon ever again. Distressed by the idea that his outie can enjoy regular family life while he’s perpetually stuck at the Severed Floor, Dylan G. decides to fill out the dismissal form and end his life.

In Severance’s Season 2 finale, Dylan G. wakes up on the Severed Floor again. At first, he understands that as a sign that his outie refuses his dismissal request. A letter from Outie Dylan reveals the situation is more complicated than that. Outie Dylan is angry with Dylan G. about him kissing his wife. However, he is surprisingly understanding, explaining that it makes sense for Dylan G. to be attracted to Gretchen. Plus, the fact that Gretchen was drawn to Dylan G.’s confidence has convinced Outie Dylan to work on himself, become a better husband, and aspire to be as fearless as Dylan G. Outie Dylan also leaves the cases for ”denied” and “approved” empty in the dismissal form, giving Dylan G. the freedom to choose what he truly wants.

Outie Dylan’s earnest letter to Dylan G. allows him to be at the Severed Floor when things go south. With renewed verve, Dylan G. soon joins Helly R.’s revolution, which promises to change Lumon forever.

Helly. R Starts a Riot (And Lumon Is Not Preparared)

After his heated argument with Outie Mark, Mark S. wakes up on the Severed Floor. Soon, he’s joined by Helly R. There have been some changes. A new painting, “The exalted victory of Cold Harbor,” now hangs on the wall in front of the entry elevator, depicting Mark S. refining numbers in an almost religious fashion while watched by the whole cast of Severance. The corridors are also dark, with lights gently guiding Mark S. to the MDR room. There, an animatronic statue of Kier watches the MDR stations.

Mark S. and Helly R. share their experiences of the past few days. Being the wonderful person she is, Helly R. convinces Mark S. to finish Cold Harbor and rescue Gemma. She knows that means the end of their relationship, but Helly R. is incapable of learning of someone else’s suffering and not doing anything to remedy it. Plus, even if they lose their lives, Helly R. knows that taking down Lumon is the right thing to do.

Once Mark S. finishes Cold Harbor, Mr. Milchick (Tramell Tillman) starts the celebrations. That includes a complex musical number performed by Choreography & Merriment, a Severed Floor department comprised entirely of a marching band. While Mr. Milchick leads the band, Helly R. steals his radio, lures the manager to the bathroom, and locks him inside. That allows Mark S. to leave the MDR room and use Irving B.’s (John Turturro) map toward the Testing Floor elevator.

While Mark S. rescues Gemma, Helly R. struggles to keep the bathroom door closed. Soon, Dylan G. comes to her rescue, pushing the vending machine against the door to barricade Mr. Milchick. On the other side of the door, Mr. Milchick huffs, puffs, and uses his impressive physique to push against the vending machine. The Choreography and Merriment keep playing until Mr. Milchick orders them to return to their department. Helly R. uses this cue to address Choreography and Merriment, explaining how they should rise against Lumon, or else they will keep losing loved ones and will never have their humanity recognized. As Helly R. brilliantly puts it, “They give us half a life and think that we won’t fight for it.”

At the end of Severance’s Season 2 finale, Mr. Milchick kicks the vending machine down, regaining his freedom. However, when he exits the bathroom, he faces Dylan G. and the entirety of Choreography & Merriment. Helly R. started a revolution inside Lumon, and the innies banded together to rise against oppression. That’s an unprecedented development that changes the scope of Severance Season 3, as we will now see the innies take Lumon from the inside.

The Daring Rescue of Gemma

While Mark S. rebels on the Severed Floor, Gemma is prepared for her final test in the Cold Harbor room. She is told to dress in the clothes that viewers will recognize as the outfit she wore the night that she “died.” Mark S. completing the file means a new personality for Gemma has been developed, the personality that Lumon needs to test inside Cold Harbor to see how much psychological pain the severance chip can endure. Surprisingly, Cold Harbor is deceptively simple, featuring only a crib that the new Gemma is ordered to take down. Of course, given Gemma’s history of miscarriage and failed pregnancy attempts, the action should be incredibly traumatic. Still, the severance chip holds, and this new Gemma performs her actions at the direction of Dr. Mauer, unaware of their meaning.

Gemma’s successful testing means she will be killed by Mr. Drummond (Ólafur Darri Ólafsson). The final episode of Severance Season 2 explains how this death is part of a bizarre ritual. While Gemma dismantles the crib, Mr. Drummond receives Lorne (Gwendoline Christie), the supervisor of the Mammalians Nurturable department. Lorne is wearing a ceremonial garb and delivers a baby goat in a stroller. Following Mr. Drummond’s instructions, Lorne is to kill the goat so it can be entombed with Gemma and guide her spirit to Kier. Lorne is obviously uneasy and demands to know how many more sacrifices she must make. The scene underlines how Lumon has murdered dozens of people on the Testing Floor, which reveals the purpose Mammalians Nurturable.

The sacrifice is interrupted by Mark S. trying to break into the corridor leading to the Testing Floor elevator. Mr. Drummond hears the pounding of the door, intercepts Mark S., and tries to kill him. The brutish man is only subdued when Lorne comes to his rescue, joining the fight so she can save the life of Emile, the goat. That means Mammalians Nurturable is also ready to join Helly R.’s revolution against Lumon, probably becoming more present in Season 3 of Severance.

Using Lorne’s bolt pistol to keep Mr. Drummond hostage, Mark S. takes the elevator to the Testing Floor. When the severance switch flips, Outie Mark accidentally pulls the trigger, killing Mr. Drummond and getting his clothes drenched in blood. Outie Mark finds the Cold Harbor room, and when he realizes the door is locked by DNA recognition, he uses Mr. Drummond’s blood in his drenched tie to trick the system. Outie Mark interrupts the test, destroys Lumnon’s plans, and convinces this Gemma (who has no memories of him) to leave the room. Once outside Cold Habor, the severance chip brings the original Gemma back, reuniting the pair for the first time in two years.

Gemma and Outie Mark rush to the elevator, chased by a hysterical Dr. Mauer (Robby Benson), who screams: “You’ll kill them all!” Inside the elevator, Gemma and Outie Mark share a kiss right before the severance chip flips again. Mark S. and Ms. Casey awake on the Severed Floor, their lips locked. Ms. Casey doesn’t know what’s happening, but Mark S. quickly guides her to the exit stairs. Gemma exits the Lumon building, recovering her original memories. From the outside, she calls for Mark S, who hesitates, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, Helly R.’s arrival breaks Mark S.’s stasis. He turns his back to Gemma and decides to remain inside the Severed Floor with Helly R. while Gemma screams, desperate, wanting her husband to join her.

What Will Happen in Severance Season 3?

With Gemma on the outside, Devon (Jen Tullock) and Harmony Cobel (Patricia Arquette) gain unprecedented leverage against Lumon. They have a witness who can testify to the company’s kidnapping, illegal human testing, and the overall perversity of the Testing Floor. However, this victory comes with a cost, as Mark S. decides to keep his life and pursue happiness inside the Severed Floor. There’s also the lingering uncertainty of where Irving Bailiff (John Turturro) has gone after getting on a train in the Season 2, Episode 9, not to mention the truth about Burt Goodman (Christopher Walken).

Season 3 of Severance will also have to deal with the outside consequences of Gemma’s liberation while showing what happens to the innies on the Severed Floor. The innies are united against Lumon and most likely unwilling to simply clock out and let their outies take control. So, Season 3 must explore what happens when the Severed Floor is no longer ruled by the laws of work but instead governed by individuals fighting for their freedom.

Both seasons of Severance are currently available on Apple TV+.

What did you think of Season 2 of Severance? Use the comments to share your theories about what will happen in Season 3!