15 Questions We Need Answered in Severance Season 2

After Severance Season 1 ended in Spring 2022 on a huge cliffhanger, this critically acclaimed sci-fi/drama is finally returning for Season 2. Premiering on January 17th on Apple TV+, Season 2 is sure to be a wild ride as the show dives further into Lumon Industries’ enigmatic past.

There are so many questions Severance Season 1 left unanswered. While the finale itself raised tons of new questions, there are also plenty of unsolved mysteries planted throughout each episode. 

In no particular order, here are 15 questions we want Severance Season 2 to answer:

1. Why is Gemma at Lumon? 

Throughout Severance Season 1, Mark struggles with grieving the loss of his wife, Gemma. He believes she is dead until his innie self enters the outie world on Severance Season 1 Episode 9 “The We We Are,” and finds out that Gemma is actually Ms. Casey, the Wellness Counselor. 

Season 2 will likely see Mark seeking answers about how Gemma ended up at Lumon. There are a few theories about what happened to Gemma. Maybe Lumon kidnapped her and fake her death to get both Gemma and Mark to work at the company. Alternatively, maybe Gemma willingly chose to work at Lumon.

Even with these theories, several questions still remain. Is Gemma severed like Mark? Does Gemma’s outie self still exist, or does she only have an innie persona? 

We are just as desperate as Mark to get these questions answered. Hopefully, the new season will give us more information about how Gemma became Ms. Casey. 

2. What are the goats for? 

Lumon Industries reaches a new level of creepiness on Severance Season 1 Episode 5, “The Grim Barbarity of Optics and Design.” Mark and Helly discover a room of baby goats, and the man caring for the goats gets angry at the two workers for entering the room. 

While we still don’t really know what Lumon does, it seems strange that there’s a nursery of baby goats in a corporate organization. There’s no explanation about how the company is using the baby goats and why they’re protected so fiercely. 

The Season 2 trailer has a brief shot of baby goats, suggesting that these bleating babies will make a return. Therefore, it seems that we may be getting some answers as to what the baby goats are doing at Lumon in this upcoming season. 

3. Are Burt and Irving over?

Burt and Irving’s budding romance captivated our hearts. Unfortunately, Burt retires from Lumon on Severance Season 1 Episode 7, “Defiant Jazz.” To make matters even more complicated, Irving finds out that Burt’s outie is married on Severance Season 1 Episode 9.

One would expect Burt and Irving’s romance to be over. However, Christopher Walken, who plays Burt, is returning for Season 2.

Season 2 could see Irving and Burt find their way back to each other. But will Burt remember his workplace romance or will he stay with his outie husband?  

4. What do the numbers in Macrodata Refinement represent? 

Severance Season 1 focuses mainly on the four workers in the Macrodata Refinement department. Their job is to sort numbers based on how the numbers make them feel. 

The workers have their own theories about what the numbers represent. Dylan, for example, thinks that sorting numbers is a way to clear out the evils of the deep sea. Yet, we don’t get a definitive answer to what the numbers represent. 

Like the baby goats, the true purpose of the Macrodata Refinement department is unclear. They’re constantly pressured to meet a certain sorting quota, but they’re never told what the numbers represent.

Perhaps in Season 2, the main characters will find clues as to what the numbers stand for. 

5. Why is Harmony so invested in Mark’s life? 

From the very start of Severance, Harmony has a strange obsession with Mark. She’s even present in Mark’s outie life, presenting as a sweet elderly neighbor named Mrs. Selvig.

She eventually goes so far as to become the nanny of Mark’s sister’s child. Even after she gets fired by Lumon on Severance Season 1 Episode 8 “What’s for Dinner?,” she refuses to detach from Mark’s life. 

It’s likely that Harmony will still stick around, even after not officially being associated with Lumon anymore. Her actions in Season 2 might help reveal why she has become so obsessed with Mark specifically. 

6. What does Lumon actually do?

One of the biggest mysteries in Severance is Lumon Industries’ true intentions. It’s implied that Lumon has something to do with biotechnology, but the true nature of the company’s operations is still a secret. 

We know that the company supposedly does something to better people’s lives. There’s a room full of smiles from people helped by Lumon. However, this could be propaganda Lumon tells its workers. 

As the members of the Macrodata Refinement department continue their investigation into the company in Season 2, they could reveal the unsettling truth behind Lumon. These new episodes could uncover whether Lumon’s promises of altruism are a front for exploitation, mind control, or an even darker agenda. 

7. What other departments exist at Lumon? 

In later episodes of Severance Season 1, the main characters leave the area of the Macrodata Refinement department to explore their work building. They run into another department: the Department of Optics and Design (O&D).

While the team originally believed O&D only had two workers, they discovered that dozens more people work in the department. This revelation raises questions about the scale of Lumon’s operations.

Season 2 could delve deeper into the mysterious dynamics between departments. Perhaps Lumon deliberately isolates its employees to conceal an ominous secret.

There may be even more departments, such as the one that houses baby goats, that the Macrodata Refinement team will discover. 

8. What is the true purpose of the severance procedure? 

The severance procedure itself is a hotly debated topic in the show. It’s so controversial that there are advocacy groups that protest the procedure, citing that it’s essential biological warfare. 

While the procedure is marketed as a way to improve work-life balance, the negative effects of severance suggest there’s more to it. Some characters speculate severance is a way for Lumon to exploit the innie workers. 

The new season of Severance could shed light on whether severance is just a corporate tool or part of a much larger agenda. Could severance be paving the way for a society where Lumon has the power to reshape humanity itself?  

9. Is reintegration after severance possible? 

A huge mystery around the severance process is whether reintegration, the merging of the innie and outie selves, is possible.

Petey’s experience in Severance Season 1 suggests it might not be, as he endured extreme mental and physical side effects after undergoing the process. His disorientation, hallucinations, and eventual death raise serious questions about whether reintegration is safe or if the severance process is truly permanent.

Season 2 could explore if Petey’s case was a failure of the process or if reintegration itself is inherently flawed. The outcome of reintegration might be important for the innie main characters who want a way back into the outside world. 

10. Does Lumon handpick its employees? 

Just like its other operations, Lumon Industries doesn’t discuss the employee recruitment process.

While Mark’s backstory shows that his hiring was influenced by personal tragedy, the criteria for hiring others is still unclear. Are candidates chosen based on emotional vulnerability, skill sets, or something more sinister? 

Severance hints that Lumon has a deep understanding of its employees’ personal lives, suggesting that the company might have a calculated approach to hiring. Season 2 could uncover if these selections are somehow tied to Lumon’s cryptic goals. 

11. What are Milchick’s motives? 

Milchick, the Macrodata Refinement Department’s ever-present supervisor, remains one of the show’s biggest enigmas. Like Harmony, he outwardly seems to have a firm loyalty to Lumon. 

However, his actions often hint at deeper motives. From his cryptic interactions with the main characters to the emotional manipulation he employs, Milchick seems to be involved in more than just oversight.

Whether he’s ensuring the success of Lumon’s agenda or pursuing goals of his own remains unclear. Perhaps Season 2 could reveal whether he is simply a dedicated enforcer or someone whose intentions could change everything we know. 

12. Why are there paintings depicting employee violence? 

Several paintings appear throughout Severance Season 1, but the most disturbing ones appear on Severance Season 1 Episode 5.

Irving discovers a painting of the O&D department violently attacking the Macrodata Refinement Department. However, he later discovers that there’s another painting that’s the exact same, except the attackers are the Macrodata Refinement team, and the victims are O&D. 

The true origins and purpose of these disturbing paintings remain unknown. Are they based on real events, or were they simply created to pit departments against each other?

Uncovering the truth behind these paintings could reveal more about Lumon’s true intentions. 

13. How did Kier Eagan become such a worshipped figure?  

Kier Eagen, founder of Lumon Industries, is a revered and almost god-like figure within the company. Throughout Severance Season 1, employees see tributes to Kier throughout the building. The most notable recognition is the perpetuity wing, which seems to be entirely dedicated to worshipping the Eagen family. 

While his contributions to Lumon are frequently referenced, the origin of how he became so powerful and worshipped is still secret. Did he genuinely revolutionize society, or is his legacy being used by Lumon to maintain control? 

As the main characters continue to uncover more of Lumon’s secrets, Season 2 could delve deeper into the history behind the cult-like devotion surrounding Kier. 

14. Will Dylan find a way to be reunited with his son? 

On Severance Season 1 Episode 6 “Hide and Seek,” Dylan catches a glimpse of his son in his outie life. Dylan’s innie self becomes obsessed with finding out how to see his son again.

This leads him to discover the overtime contingency procedure that connects the innie and outie worlds. Will Dylan’s discovery of this procedure play into Season 2? 

As he becomes more determined to reconnect with his son, his quest could lead to unexpected revelations about Lumon’s inner workings. More importantly, Dylan could find a way to his son again, sparking a deeper exploration of how employees trapped within Lumon’s system can still experience their outie lives. 

15. What consequences will the main characters face? 

The biggest question yet left by the cliffhanger on Severance Season 1 Episode 9 is what will happen to the main characters.

Milchick discovered Dylan helped his co-workers’ innie selves escape and shut down the procedure. Will he punish the Macrodata Refinement team by sending them to the break room, or will they receive an even more extreme treatment? 

With how Lumon is strictly surrounded by secrecy, there’s also sure to be some drawback from Helly’s plea to the outside world to free the innies from Lumon. As the stakes rise, Severance Season 2 will surely reveal the fallout from their actions. 

—

That concludes our list of 15 questions we want to see Severance Season 2 answer. Which of these questions interested you the most? Are there any mysteries we missed that you’re eager to see explored in the new season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Severance returns for Season 2 on Friday, January 17th on Apple TV+.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!