Did Severance Just Reveal Its Biggest Secret?
It all comes down to the elevator.
Ever since Severance shocked audiences at the end of Season 1, there’s been an eerie feeling of mistrust around everything we see on our screens. In just the first two episodes of Season 2, we’ve learned more about how Lumon works, how they are reacting to the Overtime Contingency breach, and even some hints at what all the work the Innies are doing is going towards.
But one of the most pervasive fan theories is only looking more and more likely as the season crawls on, including incredibly obvious evidence that’s hiding right in plain sight — if you know where to look.
Helena Eagan’s ruthless corporate identity is a mystery to the Innies.
In Season 1, we learned that Mark S.’s coworker and possible love interest Helly is actually Helena Eagan, the daughter of Lumon CEO Jame Eagan and descendant of Kier Eagan. In Season 2 Episode 1, when all the Innies were describing what they saw on the outside, Helly lied and said she found herself in a sad apartment instead of all dressed up at a Lumon gala.
That led fans to believe that Helly is actually Helena, undercover as her own Innie to keep the Lumon execs informed about what is going on in secret. There were other smaller pieces of evidence too, like how she was quick to get the others to share and how she struggled to turn off her computer.
In Episode 2, there was an even bigger piece of evidence that may confirm this theory entirely. Towards the end, we see each of the original Innies get ready for the first time. A precedent is set with Mark, Irv, and Dylan: the employees put their stuff in a locker, have a metal detector waved over them by security, scan their cards, and then get into the elevator. When the elevator dings and heads down to the severed floor, the Innie takes over.
Helena’s elevator ride has a tiny detail that could be the key to its biggest secret.
This is exactly what happens with every other character, but with Helena, there’s one key difference: when she gets in the elevator, there is no ding. If that is what triggers the switch to the Innies, then that never happens for Helena, and she never switches into Helly. There are other signs in Episode 2 as well, like how Irv is shown switching over his watch when he gets ready for work while Helena keeps her watch on throughout, or how we see Helena watch the tapes of her Innie’s relationship with Mark. Is she doing that out of curiosity, or as a way to study up on how her Innie behaves?
There are still eight episodes left in the season, so it may be a while until we see what’s really going on with Helly, but it seems like every episode we learn more and more about how nothing is as it seems. But if Lumon execs are given the choice between sending down Helena or her Innie who plotted a revolt, it’s very clear what they would choose.
